Tamers: Stuck in Paradise ::Season 3::
by Sid1
Summary: Season 3 of the Digimon soap opera! Part 18 up! Hawkmon is ready to meet his creator, but things don't quite work that way... (Please review!)
1. After the storm

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 1  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  
Author's notes:  
I don't own Digimon. Toei Animation does.  
This season starts a bit slower than the last one, but that'll change... ^_^  
  


* * *

  
_Blurred vision. Not good. Need help. Need Ruki._  
_No. No Ruki this time. Have to keep going myself._  
_Veemon looks hurt. He's weak now. But so am I._  
_Mustn't give up now. Revenge for Gatomon._  
"G-Gato... I won't give up..." Renamon mumbles.  
She charges at Veemon and suddenly her world consists only of pain.  
With a scream, Renamon wakes up.  
She blinks while her heartbeat slows down a bit.  
Renamon has been lying on something soft. And it's dark around her.  
The fox yelps when she hears something move somewhere.  
A sudden burst of light makes her flinch and curl up instinctivly.  
  
_My God._ Ruki Makino thinks, her hand still at the lightswitch.  
She runs to the shivering furball lying on her bed.  
Renamon had been weak and dizzy for a whole week now.  
The fight with Veemon has really drained her Digimon partner.  
Gatomon has gathered some herbs that made Renamon sleep while her wounds healed.  
Yesterday the wounds were finally healed, and Renamon spent the first night sleeping normally.  
Ruki hadn't expected Renamon to have a nightmare.  
She hadn't even known if the Digimon had dreams at night.  
Slowly she puts her hand on Renamon's fur.  
"Renamon. It's me, Ruki." she whispers.  
She can feel Renamon calm down a bit after hearing her Tamer's voice.  
Somewhere in the ocean of fur, Renamon's eye could be seen.  
"It has just been a dream. Everything is all right." Ruki assures her.  
  
Seeing her Tamer helped Renamon get over the initial shock.  
It removed the feeling of alienation, gave her a feeling of being at-home.  
Slowly Renamon stretches herself again and hugs Ruki.  
She know realizes that she is lying on Ruki's bed. Next to the bed, Renamon can see a sleeping-bag.  
"How long did you have to sleep on the floor?" Renamon asks carefully.  
"You've been asleep for a week." Ruki only whispers.  
Renamon instantly feels guilty. She should have slept on the floor, not her Tamer.  
Then she imagines how she must have looked after the fight.  
A quick check tells her that her wounds have healed. Ruki simply strokes her fur.  
"That fight was pretty dumb, wasn't it?" Renamon whispers.  
"Both of you fought for something you considered right."  
"Still it has been dumb. How's Veemon doing?"  
"Fine as far as I have heard."  
Renamon just wants to answer when she hears familiar sounds coming from the door.  
And the fox suddenly has a funny idea.  
  
_I've heard Renamon's voice! She's awake!_  
Gatomon can't stop smiling. Finally she could embrace her love again!  
Using her tail, Gatomon opens the door and looks into the room.  
She can see Ruki kneeling at her bed. And Renamon is sitting in it.  
Still smiling, Gatomon enters the room.  
"Renamon!" she cheers.  
The golden fox looks at her and cocks her head.  
"Excuse me, do I know you?"  
Gatomon's smile freezes. Her tail becomes limp and falls to the floor.  
Lacking the strength to stand, Gatomon sinks down to her knees.  
Gulping, she looks up at Renamon, who is suddenly smiling like a madman.  
"Just kidding." the fox admits.  
  
Gatomon blinks up at her.  
Renamon has been touched by the emotions her love has shown.  
"You!" the cat now hisses and jumps at her.  
But instead of hugging her, Gatomon's paws lock around Renamon's neck.  
"Don't ever do that again!" the cat shouts, shaking the fox's head violently.  
Renamon lets herself fall onto the bed again and tickles the cat.  
Gatomon's rage instantly vanishes as the cat now embraces Renamon for real.  
_I guess Ruki won't mind sleeping on the couch for once..._  
  
The next morning, Renamon feels full of energy again.  
Her limbs definately need some movement.  
But the first thing she sees when she and Gatomon come out of Ruki's room is the bad weather.  
"So much for some training in the park." she mutters.  
Kari approaches them with a smile.  
"Good to have you back, Renamon." she says and gives Renamon a short hug.  
"Yeah. But I wish the weather would be better."  
Kari doesn't stop smiling.  
"Well, I know a place where it doesn't rain..." she says and holds up her Digivice.  
  
Standing near the US DigiPort, a group of American DigiDestined chats quietly.  
"So, you're finally leaving." Greg mutters.  
"Yes. We depart in a few minutes." Isis replies, ignoring the remark.  
"And the next stop will be Tokyo, your holy land." Frank grunts.  
Isis sighs. She asks herself why she has tolerated them so long.  
_Everything will be better once we're in Tokyo._ she tells herself.  
"Tokyo. Home of the legendary DigiDestined." Ally mocks her.  
"Hey Isis, do you actually think those legends will even talk to you?"  
Isis stares at Bill, who has asked the question.  
"You don't even know their full names." John snickers.  
She looks at the five DigiDestined who laugh about her.  
They always have done so. Doubted her. Mocked her.  
But now it would end. In an hour, she'd be in the plane, together with her parents.  
And once she found the DigiPort of Tokyo, she'd fetch her Digimon partner.  
They had just dropped her at the DigiWorld side of it.  
_I just hope that nothing happens to her while I'm travelling._  
  
Once Isis is gone, the others sigh.  
"Finally." John sighs.  
"She's such a weakling." Greg comments.  
"Yeah. She isn't even worth having a Digimon." John adds.  
"Maybe we should make that one clear to her." Ally suggests and smiles.  
"What're you thinking about?" Frank asks her.  
"The DigiPort is half an hour away. Isis is gone for at least 8 hours."  
"And her poor Digimon is all alone during that time..." Bill adds.  
"What would poor Isis say when her Digimon gets beaten up?"  
"She'd recognize that she failed. That she's a loser."  
"Let's do it."  
"Yeah. Let's get our Digimon together!"  
  
Ruki and Kari slowly wander over the wide green field.  
Gatomon and Renamon are playing catch, of course without any unfair tricks.  
Each time the got each other, they'd roll over the grass and laugh.  
Their latest playful rolling trip stops abruptly when they bounce into somebody.  
"Oh, I'm sorry, mister." Renamon stands up and smiles at the stranger.  
She hears Gatomon gasp and looks down.  
"R-R-Renamon..." the cat stammers and points at the man.  
The fox frowns and looks at the man. He is wearing a robe and smiles at her.  
"What's up, Gatomon?" Renamon asks.  
Instead of answering, Gatomon sinks down to her knees.  
"I'm very sorry." the cat whispers.  
"You know this dude?" Renamon asks and scratches her head.  
The man laughs gently and extracts his hand.  
"So it is true. You're really not from around here." the man tells Renamon.  
"Sort of. Who are you? Gatomon seems to be a big fan of you."  
She can hear Gatomon gasp again. The man only laughs heartily.  
"I should introduce myself. My name is Gennai."  
  
Renamon shakes the man's head and tries to remember what she had been told about Gennai.  
"Oh, so you're just a step behind God and stuff?"  
"Sort of." Gennai answers.  
Still shaking his hand, Renamon begins to realize her situation and gulps.  
She quickly sinks to her own knees and looks down.  
"Forgive my manners, sensai." she whispers.  
"Hey hey, stand up you two. This becomes kinda embarrassing."  
Shaking visibly, Renamon stands up.  
"I'm sorry that I didn't introduce myself sooner. But I had a tight schedule."  
"Of course." Gatomon answers.  
"Veemon has told me much of your latest adventures." Gennai continues.  
Renamon gulps. Fights among DigiDestined's Digimon were frowned upon.  
"He also told me that everybody learned something that day."  
Gennai starts to smile again.  
"So you won't delete us or something like that?" Renamon asks carefully.  
"Of course not! I guess Gatomon would never forgive me that one." Gennai cheers.  
Suddenly he frowns.  
"Hm. Talking about unneccessary fights... Maybe you should do something..."  
Renamon looks at Gatomon, then at Gennai. She blinks when she sees that Gennai is gone.  
"Fighting?" Gatomon asks and takes alook around.  
Renamon frowns.  
  
"That has been Gennai!" Kari shouts.  
Rui is running next to her and frowns.  
"That really powerful man living here?" she asks for verification.  
Kari only nods.  
Renamon and Gatomon appear to be looking for something when Kari and Ruki arrive.  
"Do you see any fighting around here?" Gatomon asks them.  
Ruki frowns. She can't see any fights.  
"Maybe we should look from that hill." Renamon suggests.  
The hill she points at is about fifty meters away.  
Without waiting for the humans, the Digimon start to run.  
  
From the top of the hill, Renamon can see what Gennai meant.  
A single Digimon is being chased by five others. Five humans are a bit behind them, cheering.  
Renamon blinks when she sees who is being chased.  
"Is that Veemon?" she asks Gatomon.  
"Hm. No. This one is different somehow. But it's hard to tell from here."  
Breathing heavily, Ruki finally arrives.  
Renamon uses this opportunity to identify the chasing Digimon.  
She can see a Gotsumon, a Floramon, a Goblimon, a SnowAgumon and a Penguinmon.  
The chased Digimon is unknown to her.  
By now the Digimon have caught up with their prey.  
The Goblimon hits the chased Digimon with its big club, making Renamon snarl.  
They can hear the Digimon scream and see that her leg is hurt.  
The chase is over.  
  
"Okay. Renamon, do you think you can deal with them?" Ruki asks.  
Renamon cocks her head, then nods.  
"Good. Gatomon, bring the poor Digimon here and let Renamon do the fighting."  
"Ruki, you're sending Renamon into a fight with five enemies?" Kari asks.  
"Rookies. Renamon should be able to deal with them."  
"If you're in trouble, I'll join you." Gatomon whispers.  
"Then let's even the odds." Renamon says and starts to run.  
"Right behind you!" Gatomon answers.  
"Do you really think this'll work?" Kari asks Ruki.  
"Trust me. This won't take long."  
_At least I hope so. Those are the Digimon of DigiDestined._ Ruki reminds herself.  
_If they have some tricks of their own, we're in trouble._  



	2. Outnumbered

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 2  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Even without an option card, Renamon is a fast Digimon.  
And it doesn't take her long to reach her top speed charging down the hill.  
Her first target is the Goblimon.  
The ugly Digimon is holding his victim's arms up.  
Gotsumon is obviously attempting to punch the Digimon in its stomach.  
Renamon can see that their victim is a female Digimon, which enrages Renamon even more.  
_Five against one lady Digimon. Still I mustn't kill them._  
Renamon hates fighting with restrictions.  
Her fight with Veemon had been better in that aspect. She didn't have to hold back.  
Okay, so the fight with Veemon was wrong and ended with much pain.  
Still it had been better.  
  
Kari looks at Ruki and frowns.  
The Tamer has changed during the last few seconds.  
_She looks so serious, yet happy and confident._  
Kari can't believe that this is the same girl who taught her how to seduce T.K.  
_Is this how Davis has felt? Has he seen this change during their last fight, too?_  
Ruki's left hand is holding her D-Arc while her right hand rests on her card-holder.  
  
Sensing Gatomon behind her, Renamon enters the battlefield briefly.  
Like a golden lightning, she passes the Goblimon's back.  
During that brief encounter, her left claw has left deep gashes in the Digimon's skin.  
While she stops some meters away, the Goblimon realizes what has happened and screams in pain.  
Gatomon has grabbed the victim Digimon as soon as the Goblimon's grip has become weaker.  
The whole action took less than a second.  
And even while the Gotsumon's head turns, it continues its punch.  
But instead of hitting the Veemon look-alike, it hits the Goblimon.  
Before any of the others can react, the Goblimon hits the Gotsumon with its club.  
"So far, so good. Get her out of here!" Renamon tells Gatomon.  
Supporting the injured Digimon, Gatomon runs away.  
_Showtime._  
  
"Goblimon! Calm down!" John shouts at his partner.  
"Can't your dumb Digimon watch out?" Greg shouts, pointing at his partner Gotsumon.  
"That wasn't his fault! You Digimon punched him!" John shouts.  
Ally just shakes her head and looks at Bill.  
"Stop it, you two! Our real enemy is standing over there!" Bill shouts.  
The DigiDestined instantly stop and turn around to face the new Digimon.  
Five hands hold up Digivices to check it.  
"Renamon. Rookie level Digimon. Cute." Frank mutters.  
"Lemme at it!" Penguinmon urges his partner.  
"I say you deal with it together." Frank hisses.  
Ten individuals look at the Renamon and grin.  
And Renamon simply grins back.  
  
"You feeling better, buddy?" Davis asks.  
"You bet on it!" Veemon cheers.  
The small dragon Digimon does a series of quick punches to emphasize his statement.  
Davis smiles and looks up at the sky of the DigiWorld.  
"I love it. The DigiWorld is so... peaceful now." he sighs happily.  
They start to climb a small hill.  
Once they'd reach the top of it, they'd have a fantastic view.  
  
Gatomon drags the Digimon towards Kari and Ruki.  
"Are you all right?" she asks.  
"M-My leg hurts. But when they come, I'll fight them."  
Gatomon raises an eyebrow.  
_Strange. She sounds just like a DigiDestined's Digimon partner._  
"Do you have a human partner?" the cat asks.  
The Veemon look-alike nods weakly.  
"Yeah. We met some weeks ago."  
Gatomon carries her up the hill now.  
"Tell me when they're here." the other Digimon whispers.  
"Don't worry. They're occupied." Gatomon answers and smiles.  
  
Renamon stands still while the other Digimon form a circle around her.  
"Why're you picking on a single Digimon?" she asks them.  
The attackers simply snicker.  
Renamon can instantly see that they lack fighting experience.  
"You shouldn't have interrupted our little game!" one of the humans shouts.  
"Five against one is no game." Renamon shouts back.  
The five Digimon stand around her, looking at each other.  
Renamon focuses on her calm center, knowing what their first move will be.  
"Well, too bad for you, foxy! Attack!" another human shouts.  
As expected, the five Digimon charge at her simultaneously.  
Just before they reach her, Renamon concentrates her energies and vanishes.  
  
"What the-" Greg and John shout at the same time.  
"Where did it go?" Ally asks and checks the battlefield.  
"I don't know, it seems to be gone." Bill whispers.  
The DigiDestined watch their Digimon stand up again.  
They had crashed into one big pile after their prey had beamed away.  
SnowAgumon looks at Bill as if asking for help. Then the Digimon's eyes widen.  
"BILL! LOOK OUT!" the small white Digimon screams frantically.  
Bill frowns when his partner point at him.  
Then he realizes what his Digimon wants to tell him and whirls around.  
The humans jump slightly when they see that the fox Digimon is standing right behind them.  
Grinning, the Digimon dashes through the gap the DigiDestined have created.  
  
_Now for the real fight!_ Renamon thinks.  
Her little trick should have bought Gatomon some extra time.  
She charges right at the Digimon in front of her, the SnowAgumon.  
The frost dino already prepares his attack, but Renamon jumps before he can target her.  
Renamon's primary target is the Goblimon, the biggest Digimon of the group.  
Her jump carries her to him, and she easily hits his face with her Wisteria Punch.  
The big goblin grunts and falls backwards, but Renamon has already picked her next target.  
Right after her landing, Renamon does a floorsweeper, knocking the Floramon off her feet.  
Then she sees that the SnowAgumon and the Penguinmon obviously have teamed up.  
"Errr... Ruki? Anytime now..." she whispers.  
  
Kari sees Ruki nodding, although she doesn't know what she has agreed to.  
The Tamer smiles and draws a card.  
Ruki's moves are fluid and artistic at the same time, making Kari gasp.  
Of course Kari has seen Ruki slash a card before.  
But never in combat. Never with this ritual move.  
Kari feels that this moment is very special. Almost like her Armor Digivolution initiation.  
"Card slash - Meramon!" Ruki shouts.  
  
"Impossible!" all DigiDestined shout in surprise.  
"According to the Digivice, her attacks are Fox Leaf Arrowhead and Wisteria Punch!"  
Ally checks her Digivice again to verify her statement.  
"Th-That's cheating! A Renamon doesn't know any fire-attacks!" Bill protests.  
"Man, that looks just like a Meramon's attack to me." Frank observes.  
Just like his partner Penguinmon, he keeps cool during a crisis.  
But even he is concerned. The Renamon is blocking the attacks of the two Digimon.  
"Gotsumon, you turn!" Greg shouts.  
"Floramon, support Gotsumon!" Ally adds.  
John bites his lower lip. Goblimon is only slowly recovering.  
  
Renamon grits her teeth, knowing that she can't block the attacks much longer.  
She can suddenly feel her Tamer touch a boost card.  
"No. Not yet." she hisses and the feeling vanishes.  
Renamon can see the charge of the Gotsumon and the Floramon now.  
The two Digimon are coming from the right side, too confused to use a long-range attack.  
_Such a big group and no obvious leader. It's a pity._  
Just as the Digimon attempt to tackle her, Renamon jumps to her left side.  
As expected, the four attacking Digimon realize their mistakes too late.  
And while Renamon jumps away, the Floramon and the Gotsumon are caught in a small avalanche.  
She can hear the DigiDestined curse loudly and smiles.  
Her smile vanishes when three DigiDestined raise their Digivices.  
"Ready?" the three humans shout.  
All Digimon except for SnowAgumon and Penguinmon nod.  
When Renamon sees the familiar lightshow, she knows that this fight isn't over yet.  
  
"They're digivolving!" Ruki gasps.  
Gatomon, who has just arrived, turns her head.  
"She's in trouble!" the cat shouts.  
"No! Not yet!" Ruki barks.  
Gatomon looks at Kari, and the DigiDestined shakes her head, too.  
"Stay here and help the other Digimon." she advises her partner.  
  
"what's going on down there?" Davis asks.  
He and Veemon have just arrived on the hill and noticed the fight on its other side.  
Veemon blinks, trying to make out the different Digimon.  
He gasps when he can make out one familiar vulpine body.  
"Three Champs and two Rookies are too much for her!" Veemon shouts.  
Before Davis can say anything, the dragon has made his decision.  
  
Renamon sighs when she sees her new opponents.  
Two of them are relatively harmless, a Kiwimon and an Ogremon.  
But Gotsumon's evolved form looks dangerous.  
The Monochromon glares at her angrily.  
Renamon chooses to take care of the Kiwimon first.  
The small Champion is fast, but not too strong.  
This time her primary goal is to face less enemies at a time.  
She charges right at the bird lacking its wings.  
The Kiwimon charges, too. But Renamon is already in range and sends it down with her Wisteria Punch.  
Of course the Kiwimon would recover. But Renamon has bought some time to-  
"ARRRRRGH!" Renamon shouts when she is hit by the big club.  
Before she has skidded to a halt, the Monochromon kicks her away again.  
Renamon curses since this is just the situation she tried to avoid.  
  
Ruki curses and browses through her cards.  
Gatomon is unable to move, as if her closeness to Renamon is suddenly working against her.  
She is paralyzed by fear, fear to lose her beloved.  
_Shouldn't it be the other way around?_ Gatomon asks herself.  
_I should be rushing into the fight, but somehow I... can't._  
Before she can continue to pity herself, Kari gasps.  
"Look!" the DigiDestined shouts and points.  
  
Renamon groans as she looks up at the Ogremon.  
_I just need a second to catch my breath._ she thinks.  
But she knows that the Ogremon won't give her that time.  
Grinning, the big Digimon lifts its club.  
_Ruki!_ Renamon begs, hoping that the girl would just slash ANY card now.  
"VEE HEADBUTT!"  
The Ogremon suddenly lowers his club and holds his right side.  
Then he falls onto his left side.  
Renamon blinks and gets up again.  
"Veemon?" she mutters in surprise when she sees the familiar blue Digimon.  
"We've got to stop meeting like this." Veemon chuckles and points at the Digimon.  
"Yeah. Right. Now let's end this." Renamon tells him with a smile.  
"Looks like only the Ogremon and the Monochromon are asking for more." Veemon observes.  
Renamon quickly checks the battlefield.  
The two Rookies are slowly retreating, supporting the Kiwimon.  
  
Standing next to Renamon, Veemon starts to think what he has just done.  
He gulps when he realizes that the Monochromon looks much bigger from here.  
"Okay, the Ogremon first!" Renamon whispers.  
"You take the high road, I take the low road." Veemon answers.  
Together they charge at the Orgemon who now is on his feet again.  
The vulpine Digimon goes first, somersaulting over the Digimon.  
When she is above his head, Renamon uses her claws to scratch the Ogremon's face.  
Screaming loudly, the Ogremon raises its hands to its face.  
"You're mine." Veemon whispers.  
He sprints and catapults himself at his enemy.  
"Vee Headbutt!" he shouts and rams his head into the Ogremon's stomach again.  
Veemon allows himself a grin when he sees that his enemy is staying on the ground this time.  
"Veemon!" Renamon shouts just in time to warn him of the charging Monochromon.  
_Man, that was close!_ Veemon thinks as he jumps out of the way.  
The large grey dinosaur seems to be concentrating on him now.  
Veemon jumps at the larger Digimon and delivers two of his strongest punches.  
The Monochromon grunts, but doesn't fall.  
Before Veemon can attack again, the Monochromon tosses him away with his head.  
  
"Ruki, I need something big!" Renamon hisses.  
Things aren't looking too good, and now Veemon seems to be in trouble.  
_Oh no, don't even think of getting yourself killed while I still owe you a rescue!_  
Renamon jumps and lands near the groaning Veemon.  
The dragon Digimon is standing again, but he looks as bruised as she does.  
Just then Renamon can feel that Ruki is doing the right thing.  
  
"- Boost Chip!" Ruki finishes her card slash.  
"what are you-" Kari starts to ask, but Ruki ignores her.  
The Monochromon is already charging at Renamon and Veemon.  
"Card slash!" Ruki shouts, starting a daring combo move.  
She drives the card through the slot, unleashing its power.  
Then she shouts the name of the card, making Kari gasp.  
  
Renamon can feel the powers Ruki has given her.  
She smiles and looks up at the charging Monochromon.  
"Okay, now it's your turn doing the life-saving..." Veemon whispers.  
Renamon's smile widens. She knows that Veemon has tipped the balace during this fight.  
And she would repay her debts. Right now.  
She brings up her paws and unleashes the energy that has built up in her body.  
"FIST OF THE BEAST KING!"  
  
Greg gasps when he sees Monochromon fly away.  
The big Digimon hits the ground almost five meters away from his starting place.  
The big dinosaur stirs shortly, then de-digivolves.  
"Who are those guys?" Ally whispers in awe.  
"Maybe Isis was right about those legendary DigiDestined." Bill answers.  
The others looks at him and gulp.  
"Then let's grab the Digimon and get outta here!" Frank shouts.  
His friends nod and start to run to their partners.  
  
Sinking down to her knees, Renamon allows herself a sigh.  
"Not bad. We've got to do that again." Veemon mutters next to her.  
"Yeah. It felt better than fighting against each other."  
She looks at the blue dragon.  
"Thanks for helping me out back there." she finally whispers.  
Veemon smiles heartily and playfully ruffles her fur.  
"Hey, you're one of us now, remember?" he cheers and extracts his hand.  
After a short hesitation, Renamon smiles and shakes the hand.  
Veemon's last words have meant much to her.  
The words eliminated any need to talk about their last bitter fight.  
"Maybe we really should train a bit together. You're almost my equal, so it should work."  
Veemon raises an eyebrow when he hears that.  
"Almost your equal?" he asks and playfully punches her side.  
Renamon simply laughs and starts to lead him to Kari and Ruki.  



	3. Is it love?

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 3  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Renamon and Veemon are quickly joined by Davis.  
Together they reach the others.  
"You two did a good job." Kari tells them with a smile.  
"Yeah. But you obviously need some training, Renamon." Ruki comments.  
"I admit I'm a bit out of shape." Renamon admits.  
"What?" a surprised voice interrupts them.  
Renamon blinks and looks down at the injured Digimon.  
Now she has finally a chance to give the Digimon a closer look.  
_She looks just like Veemon. Lighter shade of blue. Wait a second. Are those... fins?_  
The fox cocks her head. The fingers of the Digimon's hand are connected by thin skin.  
And her head and her tail have fin-like folds of skin, too.  
"Excuse me please, but what is your name?" Veemon asks the question a second before Renamon.  
  
She blushes deeply, ashamed at her lack of manners.  
"M-my name is Aquaveemon." she stammers.  
The Veemon gives her a friendly smile.  
Aquaveemon smiles back, then she looks up at the humans.  
Two faces are somehow familiar, but she can't quite think of their names.  
Then she sees the Gatomon standing next to her.  
Or rather, she sees her tail ring. The Holy Ring.  
She jumps away from the cat and hits the ground.  
"You! You! You!" she stammers frantically.  
"What? Do I smell bad?" Gatomon asks.  
"Maybe you smell like a fox." Veemon remarks with a grin.  
Renamon simply slaps the back of his head.  
"You're Gatomon! The Gatomon!" Aquaveemon stammers.  
"Yes, I'm a Gatomon." Gatomon answers with a frown.  
Aquaveemon now looks up at the humans again.  
_The DigiDestined of Japan! Kari Kamiya, Davis Motimiya and... and... some other kid._  
"You're the legendary group of DigiDestined from Japan!" Aquaveemon finally gasps.  
  
Gatomon relaxes again.  
"Oh that. Yeah. You're right." she mutters.  
Aquaveemon looks excited, maybe even intimidated.  
"You also have a partner, right?" Kari suddenly asks.  
"Ummm... Yeah. I have one." Aquaveemon whispers.  
"Hey, you could tell your story while I gather some herbs for your leg." Veemon offers.  
Gatomon blinks. Veemon is a nice guy, but he seems to be extra friendly this time.  
_Nah. I'm possibly imagining things. He's probably still on adrenaline._  
Aquaveemon nods and Veemon instantly walks away.  
"You can't imagine how happy I am to meet you this early." Aquaveemon says as she sits down.  
"What did those Digimon want from you?" Ruki asks.  
"Those were the DigiDestined of America. I have been part of them. Sort of."  
"You aren't anymore? Did they chase you away?" Renamon asks with a frown.  
"No. Isis, that's my partner, moves to Tokyo. That's why she isn't here now."  
  
Aquaveemon carefully waits for their reactions.  
She fears that they'd reject poor Isis before even seeing her.  
What if she messed up already? Maybe Isis should have made the first step.  
"It would be nice having another DigiDestined around." Kari says.  
"Hey, she could be the sister I never had!" Davis cheers.  
"You already have a sister, moron." the unknown girl snaps.  
"Jun doesn't count. I meant a nice sister, Ruki."  
"Hey, that means that we could be friends, too!" Gatomon cheers.  
"Th-That means you give her a chance?" Aquaveemon stammers.  
"If she's as polite as you are, she'll be drowning in friends soon." Renamon tells her.  
"Oh, she is. Isis MacKinnon is the nicest person I know."  
  
The group watches in awe as Veemon applies the herbs.  
"Joe taught me a few things between our adventures." he explains.  
Renamon sees Aquaveemon grit her teeth.  
"Hey, how're you doing?" she asks the blue Digimon.  
"Water." Aquaveemon whispers.  
"Do you want something to drink?" Renamon asks.  
The smaller Digimon shakes her head.  
"Ohhh... We should bring you to the water?"  
Aquaveemon manages to smile.  
"We'll get you to the next lake as soon as Veemon is done."  
  
Gatomon watches Veemon bandage Aquaveemon.  
Her past-time admirer looks somehow... happy.  
_Small wonder. He and she have the same roots. Or could it be..._  
"...love?" she whispers.  
"I love you, too." Renamon whispers.  
Gatomon mentally kicks herself. She had forgotten the fox's sharp senses.  
  
Then she looks at Veemon again.  
_It could be or become love. I'm quite sure of it._  
A smile appears on Gatomon's face.  
_Maybe they just need a good start. And somehow Veemon deserves this after all his misery._  
She quickly prepares a quick plan, then a strategy.  
Her smile widens.  
  
"There. All done." Veemon finally says.  
Aquaveemon sighs and tries to stand.  
With a yelp, she collapses again, only to be caught by Veemon.  
"I could carry you so you wouldn't have to exhaust yourself." Renamon offers.  
Veemon looks up at her and nods. Suddenly a loud yelp makes him jump.  
Renamon dashes to Gatomon, who is lying on the ground.  
"Gatomon! What's up?" the fox queries.  
"I... I feel so weak... That's why I couldn't help you in the fight." the cat whispers.  
Renamon frowns and looks at Veemon and Aquaveemon again.  
"You can't carry both of them." Veemon observes.  
The fox bites her lower lip, torn between her offer and her love.  
"It's all right. I'll carry Aquaveemon." Veemon finally offers.  
Renamon nods and smiles. Then she carefully picks up Gatomon.  
With a grunt, Veemon takes Aquaveemon into his arms.  
He can feel her soft skin and smiles. She smiles back shyly.  
"Don't worry. The next lake is quite near." he tells her.  
"Is it very far away from the DigiPort of Tokyo?" Aquaveemon asks him.  
"Not too far. Why do you ask?"  
"Isis wanted to fetch me once she finds the DigiPort in the real world."  
"Oh, I see." Veemon mutters.  
  
_Did I exhaust her too much last night?_ Renamon asks herself.  
She hopes that Gatomon's sudden weakness is not her fault.  
But the cat looks quite healthy, so Renamon doesn't worry too much.  
"Kari? Could you come here please?" Gatomon asks.  
The DigiDestined bows down and whispers something into her ear.  
Renamon can hear her effortlessly and smiles.  
"Great idea." Kari whispers and pulls out her small terminal.  
Gatomon looks up at Renamon and smiles, too.  
  
Frowning, Izzy reads the mail Kari has sent.  
"Aha... new Digidestined... Isis McKinnon... airport... Hm."  
_Oh, why not?_ he asks himself.  
It takes him less than three minutes to connect to the airport database.  
Network security isn't really a problem for somebody who easily analyses the DigiWorld.  
"Now let's see... Ah! MacKinnon. Three persons. Arrival at 5 am."  
He quickly writes Kari back.  
  
"Five in the morning?" Kari mutters.  
"Hm? What's up?" Ruki asks.  
"Hey! The lake!" Veemon cheers, thankfully ditracting Ruki.  
Veemon runs the last few meters to get Aquaveemon to her element.  
Unfortunately he trips some meters away from the edge and falls onto his back.  
Kari laughs when she sees that Veemon's momentum carries both Digimon into the lake.  
Veemon is the first one visible again.  
"Where's Aquaveemon?" Ruki asks.  
Veemon frowns and looks around.  
He screams in surprise when Aquaveemon flies out of the water next to him.  
The Digimon gracefully flies over his head and enters the lake again on his other side.  
"Talk about fast recovery." Renamon mutters.  
  
"Hey, what's up?"  
Ruki turns her head lazily. She and Kari are lying near the lake.  
Davis is there, too. The love-carzy boy is lying close to Ruki.  
She blinks and sees Yolei and Hawkmon.  
"Hi there." she greets them.  
"Am I seeing double? Or are there two Veemons in the lake?" Hawkmon asks.  
"Oh, her name is Aquaveemon. And she's the partner of a DigiDestined who moves to Tokyo."  
Yolei gasps and looks at Kari, who has given the explanation.  
"Really? Another DigiDestined? Is she here yet?" she asks.  
"No, but she'll arrive soon." Ruki says.  
Kari quickly tells Yolei her plan.  
"Great idea." Yolei agrees.  
Then she and Hawkmon wander to the lake to greet Aquaveemon.  
  
Hawkmon sees Renamon and Gatomon lying near the lake and greets them.  
Then he faces the lake and sees... her.  
Time seems to slow down just for him as he witnesses Aquaveemon jump out of the lake.  
He gasps when he sees the water perl off her magnificent body.  
For him, Aquaveemon has become the pure symbol for grace and beauty.  
Then she dives into the lake again, making Hawkmon sigh.  
Just then he hears Veemon's goofy laughter, causing him to frown.  
But his bad temper is instantly calmed when Aquaveemon appears on the surface again.  
Now she sees him... and smiles.  
Hawkmon feels light as one of his feathers.  
She greets him politely, and he hears himself greet her.  
But his mind is elsewhere. He sees himself walking with her through the park at night.  
Hawkmon knows that he has just found his one true love.  
  
Kari checks her watch and nods.  
"Okay everybody! We're going home!" she shouts.  
The humans walk to the lake where their Digimon are waiting for them.  
Aquaveemon looks a bit sad, and Kari almost smiles.  
"Are you leaving already?" the small Digimon asks.  
"Yes. We have much to do at home." Ruki answers.  
"Oh. I understand that." Aquaveemon whispers.  
Kari nods firmly and turns to leave. The rest of the group joins her.  
Only Aquaveemon keeps standing and sighs softly.  
  
_So I'm all alone again._ Aquaveemon thinks and sighs.  
_Nothing has changed. Of course not._  
Had she actually expected that they'd stay with her all the time?  
Like a group of bodyguards?  
_No. I'm unimportant. Just another weakling._  
She has seen Renamon and Veemon in combat.  
And she knows that they're much stronger than she is.  
_They'll probably start to bully Isis in a few days, too._  
"Hey, what are you waiting for?" she hears Kari shout.  
She looks up in surprise and sees that the group is waiting a few meters away.  
"Me?" she asks.  
"Of course, come on! We'll meet Isis at the airport!" Davis shouts.  
Aquaveemon cheers and starts to run. The other Digimon are smiling, too.  
"Did you actually think we'd leave you alone?" Renamon asks her.  
Aquaveemon blushes.  
"Tsk. You're one of us now, and we take care of each other." Gatomon tells her.  
  
"The plane arrives at 5 am." Kari tells Aquaveemon.  
"That means we could get some rest before we travel to the airport." Ruki adds.  
"You can use our couch if you like." Kari offers.  
Aquaveemon nods shyly. She isn't used to be treated so friendly.  
Her only real friend has been Isis so far.  
"Hey, where am I supposed to sleep then?" Ruki suddenly asks.  
"What about your bed?" Kari asks flatly.  
"But it's full of fox and cat fur!" Ruki protests.  
Aquaveemon gasps when she sees Gatomon and Renamon blush.  
"Y-you two... are... together?" she asks.  
"Don't tell me you didn't notice that before." Veemon mutters.  
"Pah. Don't worry, Ruki. You can spend the night at my place!" Davis offers.  
Ruki, Kari and Yolei blush instantly.  
"Way to go, Don Juan..." Veemon whispers.  
"Not that way! I just meant watching TV and talk!" Davis quickly corrects himself.  
"Hey, that means we can have the bed again!" Gatomon cheers.  
"Get a room, will you?" Ruki hisses.  
"Why should we? Yours is comfortable enough." Renamon answers and grins.  
"Let me guess: Long story?" Aquaveemon whispers at Veemon and Hawkmon.  
"Oh yeah. But you'll get used to it." Veemon answers and shrugs.  
"Or you'll become a part of it." Hawkmon adds.  
  


* * *

  
Author's notes:  
Aquaveemon is based on the images drawn by Marika.  
I found them at the Digiartists Domain.  
Congratulations to D3fan, who has guessed her identity so quickly!  



	4. At the airport

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 4  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"What're we doing here? The DigiPort is the other way!" Aquaveemon protests.  
"So what?" Davis replies.  
Kari smirks and shakes her head. the she holds up her Digivice.  
"The D3 Digivice allows us to travel without the fixed DigiPort." she explains.  
Then she points at the TV.  
"There's our exit." she says.  
When he sees Aquaveemon's doubts Davis steps forwards.  
"We'll show you! Veemon, Ruki, come on!"  
Ruki snuggles close to him while Veemon simply stands next to Davis.  
Davis holds up his Digivice and the trio instantly disappears with a bright flash.  
"Awesome." Aquaveemon mutters.  
Kari smiles and raises her own Digivice while Yolei and Hawkmon step aside.  
The DigiDestined of Light concentrates on the PC at her home.  
She sees that the TV tunes in on the location.  
After checking that Renamon, Gatomon and Aquaveemon are with her, she nods.  
  
When they have arrived at home, Aquaveemon instantly runs to the window.  
"Wooooooooow..." the small Digimon whispers when she sees the city.  
"I say we eat something and then go to bed early." Kari suggests.  
"Sounds fine to us." Gatomon purrs, making Kari sigh.  
Gatomon notices that Aquaveemon is blushing.  
"Try to get some sleep, Gatomon. We need you to get to the airport."  
"Awwww Kari! Can't we just use the car?"  
"No. We'll be there faster without it."  
"What do you mean with that? Gatomon can't carry all of us..." Aquaveemon says.  
"Heh. She's planning to use Armor Airlines again." Gatomon mutters.  
"You mean Armor Digivolution? Cool!"  
"Sounds like you have a real fan." Renamon whispers.  
  
Minutes before midnight, Renamon stumbles out of Ruki's room.  
She and Gatomon had finally agreed to get some sleep before the trip.  
But now the fox is thirsty.  
She blinks shortly and sees that Aquaveemon is standing at the window again.  
"Can't sleep, right?" she asks the blue Digimon.  
Aquaveemon whirls around when she hears the voice.  
"S-Sorry, I didn't hear you coming..." the small Digimon whispers.  
"Didn't mean to scare you." Renamon whispers and sits down on the couch.  
"This whole day is just so exciting!" Aquaveemon finally admits and sits next to Renamon.  
"Right. After all, you're moving into another country."  
"Not that... I mean you guys. You're legends in both worlds."  
Renamon shakes her head and smiles.  
"We don't see ourselves as legends." she tells the smaller Digimon.  
"B-But you're flawless! You're celbrities!"  
"Oh, we're not flawless at all. Trust me." Renamon assures her.  
"But-"  
"Try to get some rest. We can still talk later."  
  
Aquaveemon yawns. She has been able to get some sleep, but not much.  
"They'll arrive in 90 minutes." Kari informs them.  
"Then what're we waiting for?" Renamon asks.  
"Right. Digi-Armor - Energize!"  
Aquaveemon flinches when she sees the bright light surrounding Gatomon.  
When she looks again, she gasps and almost drops to her knees.  
Nefertimon gives her a smile and leans sideways.  
Kari quickly climbs onto her back and helps Aquaveemon up.  
Renamon is sitting behind Kari while Aquaveemon is in front.  
  
When they can see the ariport, Nefertimon flies down to the highway.  
"What are you doing?" Kari shouts.  
Then she sees what Nefertimon has seen.  
Ruki and Davis are riding on Raidramon. On the highway.  
_Thank God that there isn't much traffic._  
"Howdy!" Davis shouts when Nefertimon flies next to Raidramon.  
"Good to see you!" Kari shouts.  
"We'll meet you at the main gate." Nefertimon shouts as she flies up again.  
In the air they are suddenly accompanied by Halsemon.  
Kari can see that Aquaveemon gasps again and again, overwhelmed by the sight of the Digimon.  
"Come on! Let's wait for the others at the gate." Halsemon suggests.  
"Just my thoughts!" Nefertimon answers.  
  
When the group is complete and has de-digivolved again, they enter the airport.  
It doesn't take them long to find out where they have to go.  
They sit down near the gate the plane will arrive at.  
Hawkmon can't help but stare at Aquaveemon.  
He sighs.  
_She's so beautiful..._ he thinks and smiles.  
_"Okay old buddy. Time for action!"_  
Hawkmon squawks in surprise.  
Standing in front of him is another Hawkmon.  
It's tiny and has bright red feathers. And howns just like Aquilamon.  
_"Talk to the lady! Show her you like her!"_ the little hawk urges him.  
Hawkmon blinks and looks at Yolei.  
The girl doesn't seem to notice the other hawk.  
When he Hawkmon faces him again, he squawks again.  
_"He's right! Time for that Hawkmon charme!"_ another Hawkmon says.  
It looks just like the other one. In fact, they could be twins.  
_You mean I should tell her I love her?_ he thinks.  
_"Not so fast!"_ a third voice interrupts his thoughts.  
Yet another Hawkmon enters the scene. This one has light blue feathers and a golden halo.  
_"I may be outnumbered, but I do the thinking around here."_ the angelic hawk protests.  
_You do?_  
_"Oh yeah. And listen to me. Don't rush things or this'll end like the last time."_  
Hawkmon cocks his head. Then he remembers how he approached Renamon.  
_Oh my. You mean I should start slow?_  
The two red Hawkmons shake their head while the blue one nods.  
_OK. Slow then. And no more ham-and-wasabi-pizza before going to bed!_  
  
Gatomon is meanwhile wondering how to get Veemon closer to Aquaveemon.  
_"Ahem."_ her own inner voice coughs.  
Gatomon looks up and sees the familiar little evil Gatomon standing in front of her.  
_"Need help?"_ the small cat asks.  
_Sure. Why not?_  
Just then, another figure appears. It's another little evil Gatomon.  
_"Yeah! We'll help!"_ it cheers.  
_Excuse me, but what happened to my nice inner voice?_ Gatomon asks.  
_"You have one?"_ one of the Gatomons asks and frowns.  
_"She's got the day off."_ the second devil explains.  
_"Oh. Whatever. Let's start planning!"_  
_Maybe I should ask Renamon to help?_  
_"Nah. She's too naive. And she might bring in moral aspects."_  
Gatomon frowns. She wouldn't have thought that this would be bad.  
_"No. We need somebody with experience."_  
_"Somebody who is used to be a henchman."_  
The two evil kittens think for a while.  
Suddenly one of them turns into a comical version of Hawkmon.  
_"Squawk squawk! I'm a bird without a brain! Use me! Use me!"_  
Gatomon smiles and looks at Hawkmon.  
_Oh yeah. The perfect henchman..._  
  
Veemon sighs.  
The day has been quite nice.  
He admits that he somehow enjoyed the bath in the lake.  
_Good thing that her wounds heal that fast in water._  
Images of him and Aquaveemon in the lake come back to his mind.  
_It has been fun. She's a nice buddy._  
Davis leans over to him.  
"So, any plans, old buddy?" the boy whispers.  
"Plans? What plans?" Veemon asks and frowns.  
"I mean for her. Know what I mean?" Davis whispers and winks.  
"Geez, get a life. She's a friend." Veemon mutters.  
Davis now frowns.  
"Oh, I thought... well, you know..."  
"Ruki did weird things to your brain. Oh no, wait, you've always been like that."  
"And proud of it!"  
  
"Hey, Davis, maybe we should have asked T.K. to join us." Kari suddenly says.  
"Yeah. I bet he would have loved to come." Davis replies.  
Kari checks her watch.  
"He could still make it." she mutters and grabs her cell phone.  
"No, he can't." Veemon tells her.  
"The plane lands in half an hour. Pegasusmon can easily make it."  
"No, he can't... He has... technical difficulties..." Veemon whispers.  
"Technical difficulties?" Renamon asks and looks at Veemon.  
"I... ahhh... well..."  
"What did you do?" Davis carefully asks.  
Veemon finally sighs.  
"He came to me and told me how he ruined my plan to shave Gatomon."  
"Your plan to shave Gatomon?" Aquaveemon asks in alarm.  
"Long story." the rest of the group mutters in unison.  
"Well, he admitted what he had done. And then... I..." Veemon's voice trails off.  
"What?" Davis asks flatly.  
"I... kinda broke his wing. Just a bit! It'll heal quickly!"  
"You did WHAT?" Davis shrieks.  
"Neat." Renamon comments.  
Everybody stares at the fox.  
"What?" Renamon asks innocently.  
  
Aquaveemon begins to realize that Renamon has been right.  
_They're not flawless. But at least they're nice. And incredibly silly!_  
She smiles and closes her eyes.  
_Can't wait to see Isis' face when she sees me here!_  
All of a sudden, she realizes that these people are here just because of her.  
She opens her eyes again and stands up.  
Then she looks at the assembled group and raises her arms.  
Everybody looks at her now, sensing that she wants to say something.  
"I really want to thank you for what you did." she announces firmly.  
"You saved me and cared for me. And you instantly accepted me."  
She sighs.  
"It might be natural for you, but for me this is very special."  
Renamon smiles at her and nods in approval.  
"You have made me feel at home although I have been here only for some hours."  
Everybody applauds when she sits down again.  
Aquaveemon is not sure what has prompted her to deliver a peech like this.  
But it had felt right. And the others seem to feel honoured.  
_Maybe this is what friendship and acceptance feels like..._  
  
Finally the plane has landed.  
People come through the gate and walk different exits.  
Renamon looks at the people, looking for a potential DigiDestined.  
"There she is!" Aquaveemon suddenly hisses.  
Kari can see a girl about her age.  
Her skintone is a bit lighter than her own.  
Her most interesting feature may be hair shoulder-long blonde hair.  
"Okay, everybody to their positions." Kari orders.  
The four humans stand next to each other.  
They're flanked by the four Digimon. Aquaveemon hides behind the humans.  
  
_What a flight. I hate jetlag. And I guess it'll only get worse..._  
Isis MacKinnon groans.  
_But at least I'm away from Bill and his group of DigiMorons._  
"Don't worry, darling. You can look for the DigiPort soon." her mother whispers and smiles.  
"Right. We'll be busy unpacking all of our stuff. So you can roam the city." her father adds.  
"Thanks. I'll start looking-"  
"Oh, look! Are those Digimon?" her mother suddenly asks.  
Isis frowns. Then her eyes widen.  
"Th-Th-Those are Digimon! But what're they doing here?" she whispers.  
"Judging by their looks, they are here because of you." her father observes.  
_Impossible. Even if they knew of me, would they have bothered to come here?_  
She checks her watch and realizes that it's five in the morning.  
_No. They wouldn't come here this early just to see me. Would they?_  
"Hey, Isis!" a girl shouts.  
With a start, Isis recognizes the girl. It's Kari Kamiya.  
The DigiDestined of Light. The famous eigth child.  
Isis approaches the group and gasps.  
"Are you Isis MacKinnon?" Kari asks her.  
"H-How'd you know?" Isis stammers.  
"Let's say we have a common friend."  
With these words, the large group splits into two parts leaving a gap in the middle.  
Isis sinks to her knees when a familiar Digimon steps into the gap.  
"Hey Isis, did you miss me?" Aquaveemon asks.  



	5. Shattered dreams

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 5  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Isis can't believe her luck.  
She hugs her Digimon partner and doesn't care about the tears running down her face.  
After some minutes, she finally lets the Digimon go and looks up.  
By now the group has split up.  
The humans, Davis, Kari, Yolei and... some other girl are talking to her parents.  
She guesses that they are introducing themselves.  
The Digimon stand near her and smile.  
Isis instantly recognizes three of them. The legendary Digimon Veemon, Gatomon and Hawkmon.  
But the vulpine Digimon is no stranger to her, neither.  
The picture of her kissing Veemon has made history.  
And there has been a news report about her and another Digimon evacuating children from a burning house.  
Renamon helps her to her feet again.  
  
"I hope she didn't trouble you?" the young girl asks, pointing at Aquaveemon.  
Renamon looks at the others and simply smiles.  
"Of course not! She's a very friendly Digimon." Hawkmon tells her.  
Renamon cocks her head. Hawkmon's voice sounded very... enthusiastic.  
The DigiDestined smiles when she hears that.  
Suddenly Isis looks at Renamon, then at Veemon, who happens to stand next to her.  
"Yes, you two really make a nice couple." Isis tells them.  
Renamon blushes and looks at Veemon, who also blushes.  
"W-W-We're not a couple!" Renamon protests quickly.  
"Yeah, what made you think so?" Veemon asks.  
Renamon smacks her forehead when Isis presents them a newspaper.  
The Digimon groan at the sight of the picture of Renamon kissing Veemon.  
"Then you two are no couple? Didn't it work out?" Isis asks.  
Aquaveemon laughs nervously.  
  
"Isis!" Aquaveemon hisses.  
Her partner looks down innocently and the Digimon gestures her to lean down.  
"Stop asking foolish questions!" the young Digimon whispers.  
"Why not? Maybe they just have-"  
"No no no! Renamon loves Gatomon!" Aquaveemon tells her quietly.  
Isis blinks and turns her head to face the Digimon.  
Then she looks down again and raises an eyebrow.  
"Really?"  
"Ask them if you like. You've already asked the dumbest questions, so this one won't matter."  
Isis stands up again.  
"Are you and Gatomon really a couple?" she asks.  
Gatomon smiles and jumps up to Renamon.  
Isis gasps when she sees the two Digimon kissing passionately.  
Hawkmon and Veemon only shake their heads.  
"Oh please, get a room." Veemon mutters.  
Hawkmon only sighs and looks at Aquaveemon.  
  
After a while, the Digimon introduce themselves to Isis' parents, too.  
They talk about all kinds of things until finally Isis' mother yawns.  
"Must be the jetlag kicking in." Mr. MacKinnon observes.  
"Maybe we should go home." the mother suggests.  
The father nods and looks at Isis, who is frowning.  
"Yes. But it seems Isis wants to stay a while, right?" he asks his daughter.  
"May I? Please!" Isis begs him.  
"Why not? But you should ask them first. I guess they're tired and hungry, too."  
Isis gulps and looks at the others, trying to smile.  
The DigiDestined look at each other.  
"I bet Davis and Veemon would love to show you the city!" Gatomon suddenly cheers.  
"We would?" Davis asks in surprise.  
"Well, you're the DigiDestined of Friendship!"  
Davis smiles and looks at Veemon.  
"Sure, why not?" Veemon only asks.  
  
When her parents are gone, Isis joins the group of DigiDestined.  
"We could go to the park, too! There's a nice lake there!" Veemon suggests.  
"Yay!" Aquaveemon cheers when she hears that.  
"Yeah. The lake of love." Gatomon says and smiles.  
"I didn't know it was called that way." Hawkmon tells her.  
"You obviously don't know what we have done there." Renamon answers and grins.  
"Geez! Can't you two think of anthing else?" Veemon asks them.  
"Jealous?" Gatomon asks back.  
"Yea- I mean NO!" Veemon answers and blushes.  
The others just snicker.  
"Should we go then?" Davis asks to save his buddy.  
"Sure. How did you get here? By car?" Isis asks.  
Davis and Veemon only smile. Aquaveemon snickers.  
Still puzzled, Isis says thanks and good-bye to the others and follows Davis.  
Outside, Veemon distances himself from the group.  
"Digi-Armor - Energize!" Davis shouts, holding up his Digivice.  
Isis gasps when she sees Veemon digivolving to Raidramon.  
Davis helps Isis to sit on the large Digimon's armored back before sitting himself.  
Aquaveemon climbs up at Isis' leg and sits between Isis and Davis.  
Isis carefully holds on to Davis' waist to avoid falling down.  
Then Raidramon starts to run.  
  
Hawkmon watches the love of his life ride away and sighs.  
He has missed his opportunity. He could have offered her a lift.  
But somehow Gatomon has been faster.  
The cat Digimon now approaches him and smiles like the Cheshire Cat.  
Hawkmon knows this smile. And he doesn't like it. It means trouble.  
"Hello there, Hawkmon, old buddy..." Gatomon purrs.  
He gulps when he sees that the rest of the group has moved elsewhere.  
"Errr... Oh, I think Yolei is calling, gotta go..." he mutters and starts to leave.  
Gatomon's tail instantly wraps itself around his ankle and pulls him back.  
"Would you like to help me with Aquaveemon?" the cat purrs into his ear.  
"A-A-Aquaveemon? Sure! Why didn't you say so?"  
Hawkmon feels better already. He actually smiles at Gatomon.  
"Perfect! I want to make her and Veemon a couple!" Gatomon cheers.  
Hawkmon's smile freezes. The bird holds his breath. His heart just skipped a dozen beats.  
"You know, the potential is there! They're just shy!" Gatomon continues, ignoring him.  
_This isn't true. This is just a bad dream!_  
"So I want to bring them together. You know? Give them a good start and so on."  
  
His talons scratch her eyes out.  
Gatomon screams in pain, but he continues.  
Hawkmon covers her entire body with gashes and scratches, using talons and Feather Strikes.  
But he isn't done yet. The cat would pay for her-  
  
Hawkmon blinks and gasps.  
Gatomon calmly tells him when she first noticed the love potential.  
_Where had those thoughts come from?_ Hawkmon asks himself.  
The whole scene had been so real... a daydream.  
A tempting daydream. Hawkmon unclenches his fists.  
_Not here. Not while airport security is near._ he tells himself.  
But he tells himself that Gatomon would pay.  
He loves Aquaveemon. He! Veemon doesn't even seem to see her as a potential mate.  
No. The dumb lizard doesn't deserve her.  
That beautiful creature deserves something a better. A gentleman. Hawkmon!  
"So, will you help me?" Gatomon asks...  
  
...and suddenly gasps as her paws touch the feather stuck into her neck.  
She looks at him as she sinks onto the floor, not even knowing why she is dying.  
  
_SNAP OUT OF IT!_  
Hawkmon blinks again. He notices that he is sweating.  
"Are you all right, Hawkmon?" Gatomon asks him.  
"Yeah... Just tired. I'll give you a call, okay?"  
"Sure thing." the cat replies merrily.  
When she joins Renamon and the other humans again, Hawkmon sighs.  
_I was willing to kill Gatomon because of Aquaveemon._  
The thought itself is both pleasing and disturbing.  
_I really love Aquaveemon. With my whole heart._  
He shakes his head.  
_But murder? I dreamt about killing Gatomon! My friend!_  
No. He wouldn't sink this low.  
_Would I?_  
"No." he whispers to himself.  
But somehow it doesn't fully convince him.  
  
"Done talking?" Renamon asks lazily.  
"Yeah." Gatomon only replies.  
"And you really don't want to tell me?"  
"Hmmm... No. Not yet."  
Renamon shrugs.  
"As long as you're not dating him behind my back..." the fox mutters.  
Then Renamon stiffens.  
"You... aren't dating him behind my back. Are you?" she carefully asks.  
Gatomon steps away and looks up at her with a puzzled expression.  
"I-I-I thought you wouldn't mind if I dated others..." she whispers.  
Renamon's eyes widen.  
"Bu-Bu-But... I thought we... You... I..." the fox stammers, tears showing in her eyes.  
Gatomon suddenly laughs.  
"Of course not! Just wanted to see your reaction." she admits.  
Renamon sinks to her knees and hugs Gatomon.  
"Never do that to me again!" she whispers.  
"Hey, who started pretending to have lost her memory again?" Gatomon asks.  
Renamon stiffens again.  
"Touché." the fox finally sighs.  
  
"Renamon, we're going." Ruki suddenly mutters.  
She can see her Digimon frown, but doesn't care.  
"I could go home and prepare some pancakes!" the Digimon suddenly suggests.  
"Yay!" Gatomon cheers.  
"No. We'll meet in the park."  
"Picnic?" Renamon asks, still frowning.  
"Training." Ruki tells her.  
"But why now?"  
"Because your Tamer orders it?!" Ruki barks, clenching her fists.  
Renamon's eyes widen and the Digimon carefully steps away from her.  
Ruki curses quietly. She had not meant to scare her Digimon.  
"But Davis and Veemon already wanted to go to the- Oh."  
Renamon stops herself in mid-sentence. Ruki simply looks away.  
"You want to spy on them? Why?" Renamon asks in her ever-naive way.  
"Maybe she's jealous..." Gatomon says and snickers.  
  
The cat is saved by Renamon's fast reflexes.  
Ruki is struggling to break free of her Digimon's grip, trying to kick the cat.  
"I'm not jealous you good-for-nothing furball!" Ruki yells.  
_What's wrong with her?_ Kari asks herself.  
She has never seen Ruki this angry.  
_Maybe she is jealous. But why? What if Davis left her? It wouldn't be nice, but it could happen._  
Then Kari realizes that Davis has become much more than just a friend or a love.  
He has become Ruki's family.  
_Man, I completely forgot. Ruki has no family here. Only Renamon and us._  
Kari gulps and bites her lower lip.  
_Of course! No parents, no siblings. She felt extremely lonely and Davis filled this gap._  
By now Ruki is lying in Renamon's arms, too exhausted to stand.  
Renamon looks shocked and worried.  
"Let's bring her home. Gatomon?" Kari decides.  
"Sure thing." Gatomon says and nods.  
"Thanks." Renamon whispers.  
Kari can see that Ruki is asleep by now. Her rage must have drained her.  
Renamon is sweating, so Kari guesses that Ruki must have tried to break free with all her strength.  
But Kari is not worried too much.  
She knows Isis won't seduce Davis. And Davis only loves Ruki.  
Everything will end all right.  
_I hope._  



	6. Hawkmon's agenda

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 6  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Ruki groans and turns around in her bed.  
_Bed?_  
Her hands carefully move over the blanket covering her.  
When she realizes that this is indeed her bed, she opens her eyes.  
"Good morning, Ruki." Renamon greets her.  
Ruki notices that the Digimon is kneeling at her bed, avoiding direct eye contact.  
_What's wrong with Renamon?_  
She cocks her head.  
_Renamon's behaving just like in the old days._  
Ruki's eyes widen when she realizes what has happened just before she passed out.  
_"Because your Tamer orders it?!"_  
She had behaved just like in her own world. Like the Ice Queen.  
And Renamon has been scared. Ruki can see that the fox is still careful.  
"You looked as if you needed rest. That's why I brought you here instead of the park."  
Renamon's voice is barely a whisper.  
Ruki strokes the Digimon's golden fur and sighs.  
"I'm sorry, Renamon. I didn't mean to scare you. I just overreacted." she admits.  
Renamon looks up at her and smiles. Her paw gently strokes her hair.  
"I know. But don't worry. No matter what happens, I will be there for you."  
Ruki wraps her arms around Renamon's neck and sighs again.  
"Besides, I think we're all a bit edgy." Renamon adds after a while.  
  
_Boy, I knew he was edgy, but this is ridiculous!_  
Yolei carefully crawls out of her hiding place in the living room.  
The terrible noise has stopped some seconds ago.  
When she sees the wall seperating her own room from the living room, she gasps.  
The wall looks more like the bed of a fakir.  
Dozens of feathers stick out of the wall, being driven through it from the inside of her room.  
Yolei can imagine how her room must look now. She has already seen it once.  
It had been the day when Hawkmon told her that he loved Renamon.  
He had then attacked Veemon at his home.  
The walls of Davis room had been pierced by Hawkmon's Feather Strikes.  
Yolei looks at the coin that has saved her life and sighs.  
She had just wanted to open the door to her room when she saw the coin next to her feet.  
Just when she had kneeled to pick it up, a dark red feather flew straight through the door.  
_It would have hit my chest or even my throat!_  
Yolei had instantly run away from the door and looked for cover.  
  
Hawkmon closes his eyes and tries to control his breathing.  
But he is still full of rage and hatred.  
_They've mocked me. Used me. All the time!_  
His wings tremble, but he resists the urge to do another Feather Strike.  
_Veemon. Lizard of friendship. He is too retarded to deserve Aquaveemon!_  
He growls and closes his eyes again.  
_Gatomon. Why does she even interfere with our business?_  
_And why does she want to help Veemon? He has done all kinds of mean things! Not me!_  
He blinks when he notices that he is again holding a feather in his hand.  
Slowly he lowers his wing and sighs.  
_Does she want to help? Or does she simply want to make me suffer?_  
"H-Hawkmon?" somebody whispers.  
_Great. My oh-so-oblivious be-nice-to-others partner._  
_What._ he mutters flatly.  
"Wh-What's wrong? Did I do something-"  
"No. No." Hawkmon mutters and walks to the door.  
_Whatever their motivations are, I will show them what happens if you mess with the Hawk._  
"Where are you going?" Yolei asks, her voice becoming bolder again.  
"I'll test if cats really have nine lives."  
He walks to a closed window and starts to open it.  
Hawkmon gasps when something hits the window frame.  
The fact that surprises him most is that it is one of his own feathers.  
Slowly he turns around and sees Yolei standing in the living room.  
And when he sees the girl's face, he knows he has gone too far this time.  
  
Yolei slowly unclenches her fists.  
Every surface in her room is covered with feathers.  
And Hawkmon is definately angrier than the day when he told Renamon that he loves her.  
Now her partner seems to be able to think clearly again.  
"Y-Yolei-" he starts to stammer.  
"Step away from that window, Hawkmon." Yolei whispers.  
His wings tremble. Hawkmon does not move.  
"Y-You don't understand!" he finally shouts.  
Yolei simply frowns and cocks her head.  
"They use me! All of them!" the hawk continues.  
"Including me?" Yolei asks flatly.  
Hawkmon hesitates. Then he shakes his head and looks down.  
Slowly Yolei approaches him and holds him close to her.  
  
_Oh Yolei. I'm sorry._ Hawkmon thinks.  
The girl has prevented him from doing something stupid.  
He does realize it now. Brute force never helped.  
Veemon and he have learned this lesson, fighting about, for and against the girls they love and loved.  
_No. Brute force would make me look like a jerk._  
Still snuggling against Yolei, Hawkmon starts to prepare his own agenda.  
_The big problem is Gatomon. Dealing with Veemon should be easy enough._  
The telephone rings, startling Digimon and DigiDestined.  
Yolei answers it, then frowns.  
"Err... Hawkmon? It's for you. Gatomon."  
Hawkmon looks up and frowns. With a sigh he takes the receiver.  
"Yes?" he asks, trying to sound normal.  
Hi there! How's the Hawk of Love doing?  
Gatomon's voice could have easily caused caries.  
Tell me, how'd you like helping out a fellow Digi-Kitty?  
_Now what? "No thanks, I'd actually like to get rid of you since I love Aquaveemon."?_  
Hawkmon shakes his head. No, he'd have to be subtle.  
_Yeah. subtle. Like James Bond._  
He frowns when he remembers 'The world is not enough'.  
_Maybe a bit more like Connery. Yeah. That's it. Cool, a charmer and an infiltrator._  
"How could I deny a request from our favourite kitty-cat?"  
Yay! That's the spirit! Now here's my plan...  
  
Isis yawns and looks at the morning sky.  
The trip with Davis has ended two hours ago. But Isis still feels great.  
She paces through the apartment and looks at the neighbouring roofs.  
And at the white cat merrily jumping from rooftop to rooftop.  
She cocks her head and smiles.  
"Hey Aquaveemon, look! It's Gatomon!" she cheers.  
The Digimon joins her and rubs her eyes.  
"Really? Where?" she asks and looks around.  
Isis points at Gatomon, who is now on the roof of the neighbouring building.  
"Hey, looks like she wants to jump into the apartment from there." Aquaveemon remarks.  
"That would be really dumb because of the-"  
Isis jumps when the white cat slams against the window.  
She notices the surprised expression of the cat hanging at the window like a large sticker.  
"Guess the other DigiDestined don't have windows with antireflection coating."  
Aquaveemon looks up at her partner and blinks.  
"What kind of coating?" the Digimon asks while Gatomon slowly sinks onto the balcony.  
"It removes annoying reflections. It's the kind of glass used for showcases."  
"I think Gatomon doesn't like that kind of glass."  
Isis nods and opens the balcony door.  
  
"You sure that you'll be OK?" Isis asks. Again.  
"Trust me, I'll be fine." Gatomon assures her.  
"So you don't mind if I leave you two alone for a while?"  
Gatomon cocks her head.  
"Yolei invited me. She said she wants to hear everything about the States."  
"But since Hawkmon isn't there, I decided to stay here." Aquaveemon adds.  
"How nice, then we could talk a bit! Of course only if you like..." Gatomon purrs.  
"But of course!" Aquaveemon cheers.  
  
"Really?" Aquaveemon asks and gasps.  
Gatomon just nods.  
"Yeah. We'd be toast without Veemon. I can't even guess how many times he saved us."  
Aquaveemon nods and smiles.  
"And he really has been in love with you?" the young Digimon asks in awe.  
Gatomon shrugs.  
"And he tried to date you although he knew that Patamon tried to do the same?"  
"He's a very passionate Digimon. He can be a real charmer." Gatomon purrs.  
_Yeah, that's right. Make her drool..._  
"And you dumped him?"  
"Well, yeah. I really love Renamon. She's 'the one'."  
"No, I meant before that." Aquaveemon interrupts her.  
Gatomon frowns and cocks her head.  
"I mean the events that have led to the newspaper photo of Renamon and Veemon."  
"What do you mean?" Gatomon asks, trying not to sweat.  
"Well, Yolei told Isis on the phone about it." Aquaveemon tells her.  
_Now what?_  
  
"So you really sent Renamon do divert Veemon so you could date Patamon?"  
Gatomon gulps. She hadn't expected Aquaveemon to know these details.  
"Why did you do it? you just told me that Veemon's a very passionate Digimon!"  
"He is! He can be very romantic and stuff!"  
"Then why didn't you simply pick him?"  
Gatomon starts to sweat now.  
But the question has caused her to think about her actions in the past.  
_Yeah... Why didn't I just pick him?_  
She looks away and frowns.  
_I never thought about Veemon's feelings. Did he feel used? Cheated? Tricked?_  
She quickly tells herself not to feel guilty because of it.  
After all, she didn't pick Patamon either, right?  
_Man, I just wanted to make her drool a bit and she starts an interrogation!_  
The cat knows that she has to come up with something.  
Then she has the perfect idea.  
"Well... Veemon is... how should I put it... He's too much 'mon for me to take!"  
Gatomon smiles when she sees that Aquaveemon blushes and giggles.  
_Perfect. Now I just hope that Hawkmon is doing his job at making Veemon drool._  
  
Veemon wakes up slowly when he hears somebody tapping against the window of Davis' room.  
"H-Hawkmon?" he mumbles and rubs his eyes.  
Then he opens the window.  
"Hi there, how're you doing?" he greets the bird Digimon.  
Hawkmon looks at Veemon and cocks his head.  
"I'm doing fine. Unlike you, right?" Hawkmon asks innocently.  
"Unlike me?" Veemon asks and frowns.  
"Yeah, you somehow look... different..."  
Veemon looks down at himself.  
"What's wrong with the way I look?"  
"Nothing. I guess I'm just imagining stuff. Forget I mentioned it."  
  
Hawkmon enjoys seeing Veemon sweat.  
Gatomon had told him to tell Veemon sweet things about Aquaveemon.  
To make the ugly lizard drool. To make him realize that Aquaveemon is a nice Digimon.  
But Hawkmon has decided to make Veemon nervous.  
_If I shatter his self-confidence, he won't even think about dating her._  
"Hawkmon! Please tell me! You're my buddy!" Veemon begs him now.  
"Nah. I don't think you want to hear it..."  
Veemon grabs Hawkmon's wings and looks him straight into the eyes.  
"You are the Hawk of Sincerity! You have to tell me!"  
"Well... I'll be honest then. You look kinda fat."  
Veemon gasps.  
"And your muscles aren't just as firm as they have been..." he adds.  
The lizard quickly touches his arm muscles and frowns.  
"By the way: Did your tail always look this... limp?"  
Hawkmon smiles when Veemon runs out of the room screaming.  
He guesses that the lizard runs to the bathroom to check himself there.  
"Yep, my duty here is done." he mutters to himself.  
  
"So, did Davis show you around?" Yolei asks.  
Isis nods and smiles. Yolei notices that it's a rather wide smile.  
"Yes. Davis is a really nice guy." Isis admits.  
"Well, he does have the crest of friendship."  
"He's so caring. And soooo cute!"  
Yolei cocks her head.  
"Davis? Cute?"  
"Yeah. He's a real charmer and a gentleman."  
"I guess he just tried to be a friend."  
"You think so? It seemed to me as if there was more..."  
Yolei gulps. She really hopes that she misinterpreted the girl's comments.  
"And I really started to like him too." Isis suddenly whispers.  
_Ohhhhhhh boy..._ Yolei thinks and barely suppresses a groan.  



	7. Scare me, love me?

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 7  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Yolei Innoue is the new DigiDestined of Sincerity.  
She always says what's on her mind. Always.  
Well... there are exceptions. Like today.  
Seated next to Yolei, Isis MacKinnon keeps talking herself into great danger.  
"Aw man, Davis could have had every girl in the States!"  
Yolei simply smiles and nods, trying to figure out how to warn the girl.  
"And he really seems to like me! Me! I mean that's so awesome!"  
Smile. Nod.  
"The entire morning has been so romantic! Fantastic!"  
Finally Yolei sighs.  
"Isis." she firmly says.  
"the way his hair is styled! Just like Son Goku!"  
Yolei frowns. Isis seems to be lost in her own world.  
_Now what?_  
  
"Good afternoon!"  
The man sitting in the small cabin blinks.  
"Errrr... Hello?" he greets back.  
"I'd like to tickets please."  
"I... err... am sorry... Ummm... But... you're cat."  
Gatomon blinks and looks at the man.  
She is standing on the small window-sill of the cabin in front of the cinema.  
Normally people place their hands or their money there.  
"Let me tell you that I am no ordinary cat." Gatomon tells the man.  
"Aha. I... guess you're one of these Digimon, right?"  
"That is correct. And I would like two tickets."  
"O...kay... For which movie?" the man asks.  
"That one!" Gatomon cheers and points at a poster.  
The man gasps and blinks. Finally he sighs.  
"Just don't tell anybody who sold you these tickets." he whispers as he hands her the tickets.  
"Of course." Gatomon whispers back and gives him Kari's credit card.  
  
Gatomon merrily jumps from roof to roof, knowing that victory is near.  
She jumps onto the Motomiya balcony and hesitates.  
Carefully she moves her hand towards the balcony door and sighs when she realizes that it is indeed open.  
The vicious trick-door of the MacKinnon's has traumatized her.  
Finally she walks into the apartment.  
"Veemon?" she shouts.  
She gasps when she sees Veemon coming out of the bathroom.  
The blue Digimon looks as if the Grim Reaper has just knocked at the door.  
"You okay?" she asks carefully.  
Veemon staggers towards her like a zombie. When he is near her, he grabs her shoulders.  
"Am I ugly? Out of shape?" he whispers.  
Gatomon blinks in confusion.  
"Maybe I should just retire. And wait for the end. The light..." Veemon wheezes.  
"Veemon. You're younger than I am." Gatomon flatly reminds him.  
"Yes. You've become old, too..."  
"Okay, you were right. Your end REALLY IS NEAR!" Gatomon hisses and grabs Veemon's neck.  
_"Yeah! Strangle him! Do it!"_  
Gatomon blinks. Her little angel voice personification is sitting on the couch nearby.  
It's munching some popcorn and waves a little banner.  
_Excuse me. But shouldn't my evil voice say this?_  
_"Sure. They're in the south wing."_  
Gatomon turns her head and sees her two evil voices sitting on the TV.  
_"Gato! Gato! Gato!"_ they cheer.  
Sighing, Gatomon drops her paws.  
_I want him to fall in love. Always remember that._  
_"Lamer."_ three voices shout in unison.  
  
"Okay Veemon. Trust me, you are still in top shape." Gatomon tells the Rookie dragon.  
"You think so?"  
"Of course!"  
Veemon finally smiles and motions her to sit on the couch.  
When she is sitting, he sits down next to her.  
"So, why did you come here? I guess you didn't plan to listen to my self-pity."  
Gatomon returns the smile.  
"You're right." she answers and sighs dramatically.  
"What's wrong?" he asks and cocks his head.  
"I got two movie tickets. But Renamon wants to stay at home."  
"Oh. And you?"  
"I stay with Renamon. It's just not the same without her."  
This time Veemon sighs. But he quickly resumes his smile.  
"So I thought that you could have a good time." Gatomon cheers.  
"Me and Davis in a cinema?" Veemon asks and frowns.  
"It doesn't have to be Davis..." Gatomon purrs.  
"Who then? Hawkmon?"  
_Boy, do I have to spell it out for you?_  
"Well, I heard a certain American Digimon likes seeing a movie..."  
"You mean Aquaveemon?"  
_No you moron, I meant that Floramon you and Renamon beat up!_  
"Of course! Just ask her!"  
  
_O...kay... That does it!_  
Yolei sighs and checks her watch. 2 hours have passed.  
"Oh man, this boy is just so awesome!" Isis cheers.  
_Another hour and she starts building a temple for Davis._  
She shakes her head and snaps her fingers in front of Isis' face.  
"Planet Earth calling Isis... Isis, are you out there?"  
Isis blinks, but keeps smiling.  
"I'm sorry Yolei, but I have finally found my perfect guy!"  
"Your perfect guy is taken." Yolei mutters.  
She knows that this is very blunt, but she also knows that Isis won't pause very long.  
Isis blinks again.  
"I know. He told me about Ruki."  
This time it's Yolei's turn to blink.  
"You... know? Than why- how- does he- does she-?" Yolei stammers.  
Isis snickers and puts her hand on Yolei's shoulder.  
"Don't worry. I've decided to admire him secretly." she whispers.  
_She threw a two-hour parade just because she secretly admires him?_  
"So he doesn't know that-"  
"No! And please don't tell him. He also told me how chaotic things have been."  
Yolei can see concern showing on Isis pretty face and nods.  
"Thanks, Yolei. It would hurt me if I broke this group apart." the girl whispers.  
  
Aquaveemon yawns and opens the door.  
She had already forgotten how boring it is to be alone.  
"Hi there!" Veemon happily greets her.  
"Veemon! Come in!" Aquaveemon cheers, happy to have somebody she could talk to.  
The two Digimon enter the living room and sit down.  
"So, how do you like it here?" Veemon asks her.  
"It's wonderful. Everybody is so... friendly!"  
"Glad to hear that. Errr... I'm not too good at this... Well... Got plans for tonight?"  
Aquaveemon giggles when she sees the strong Rookie blush.  
"Oh my... Are you asking me out?"  
Veemon blushes even more, and Aquaveemon guesses that all his blood is now in his head.  
"Errr... Well... I got these two tickets... And I thought... Well..." he stammers.  
She looks at the two movie tickets and blinks.  
"You invite me to see... 'Psycho'?" she asks.  
Before Veemon can stammer his answer, Aquaveemon jumps up and down merrily.  
"Yay! I always wanted to see that one! But Isis never let me!"  
"So you... want to come?"  
"Of course!"  
  
Gatomon sits in the dark showroom and waits.  
It has been quite easy sneaking into the cinema.  
One of the advanteages of looking like a large domestic cat.  
Now she wants to witness her brilliant plan in action.  
Everything is perfect so far.  
Veemon and Aquaveemon are here, the movie is doing its job.  
Gatomon grins when she sees them moving closer together.  
Finally the moment of her ultimate victory has come.  
The trademark Psycho scene. The Shower Scene.  
Ahhhhh... Janet Leigh in the shower... closing her eyes...  
Seconds later, Gatomon digs her claws into the floor.  
First, Janet Leigh screams like mad. Of course she does.  
Normally, the crowd yelps and/or jumps slightly.  
Not this time however.  
  
Veemon stares at the big screen, biting his lower lip.  
The woman (he has forgotten her name) is in the shower and everything is peaceful.  
Somehow he doubts that this will stay so.  
Some heartbeats later, the insane pycho-murderer with the knife yanks away the curtain.  
And Veemon screams in terror.  
And Aquaveemon screams, too. Only she screams several octaves higher.  
Then the crowd around them screams, scared to death by this reaction.  
When everything is more or less quiet again, Veemon blinks.  
He is staring right at Aquaveemon. And she is staring back.  
"AAAAAAAHHHH! THE INSANE PSYCHO-KILLER!" Aquaveemon yells and breaks the embrace.  
Then, for good measure, she screams again, causing Veemon to scream, too.  
Which in return makes the crowd scream.  
When the last person has stopped screaming, the shower scene is over.  
Veemon hasn't noticed whether the woman survived or not.  
He is too busy catching his breath. Next to him, Aquaveemon is curled up in her seat.  
  
Gatomon checks her pulse. When she finds it, she sighs.  
_Okay, I lost at least three of my nine lives tonight._  
She silently vows never to watch a horror movie when these two Digimon were around.  
After maybe five minutes, she can hear Veemon's voice in the darkness.  
"Wow. That was fun." he mutters.  
Then Gatomon can hear Aquaveemon giggle.  
"Yeah. We have to do that again someday." she whispers.  
_Send me awarning when you plan to do so. I'll move to another country then._  
There is a slight pause.  
"Really sorry about the... well... errr..." Veemon stammers.  
"No no. It was my fault. I... panicked." Aquaveemon replies timidly.  
"Whatever. But it was fun nevertheless."  
"Yeah, you're so-"  
"Will you two shut up now?" a man asks loudly and stands up.  
Gatomon frowns. Just as things started to run fine...  
The two potential lovers however take it easy. Sort of.  
"AAAAAAAHHHH! THE INSANE PSYCHO-KILLER!" Aquaveemon yells once again.  
This time she doesn't even have to scream for herself.  
The crowd is still traumatized from the last time and starts to scream instantly.  
Holding her head, Gatomon seriously asks herself if this lan has been such a wise idea...  
  
Veemon and Aquaveemon walk out of the showroom laughing.  
"Boy, this has been sooo great!" Aquaveemon tells Veemon.  
They look at the people staggering out of the room.  
"Looks as if they got a good Dose o' Scare for their money..." Veemon observes.  
"Yeah. And thanks." she whispers.  
Veemon cocks his head and gives her a questioning look.  
"What for?" he asks.  
"This has been the nicest evening I ever had." she answers and blushes.  
Veemon smiles sheepishly.  
"Well... Hey, you're one of us! Remember? We're friends!"  
  
_"Friends. Just friends."_  
_"Yeah. Sure. And you expect us to believe this?"_  
Veemon blinks. Behind Aquaveemon, two tiny Veemons are leaning against each other, back to back.  
_"Dude. Stop lying to yourself."_ his dark side voice hisses.  
_"Ummm... In fact, I agree with him."_ the nice Veemon adds and shrugs.  
Veemon frowns.  
_Is this... love? Or is it just my wishful thinking?_  
He bites his lower lip and looks at Aquaveemon.  
_She certainly is a beauty. But... No. Don't even think about love!_  
Veemon still remembers the pain when Gatomon finally admitted that she did not love him.  
_I couldn't deal with another rejection. No. Never._  
He forces himself to smile.  
_Maybe I should just think of her as a friend. Then nothing can go wrong. Can't it?_  
With a long sigh, Veemon clears his head.  
_Just friends._  



	8. Aborted dates, weird encounters

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 8  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
_Worst plan I ever had!_ Gatomon tells herself.  
She lands inside the Kamiya living room and shakes her head.  
Her head is still hurting from all the screaming she had to endure.  
But the worst thing is that her plan has... failed.  
_I have seen the look on his face. He never looked at me this way. Never._  
Gatomon sighs. Veemon has tried all kind of stuff to show her that he loves her.  
This time however, he has looked at Aquaveemon and... frowned?  
_Doesn't he like her? Or is he not sure of his feelings?_  
Gatomon shakes her head and takes a look around.  
Although it's almost midnight, there is still light coming from the kitchen.  
Cocking her head, Gatomon walks to the lit room.  
  
_Boy. I should've known better!_ Kari thinks and coughs.  
The DigiDestined is sitting at the kitchen table. Her upper body rests on it.  
_This is it. I'm dying. She finally got me._  
Kari closes her eyes, waiting for her end.  
"Oh, hi Kari." Gatomon mutters while she enters the kitchen.  
"Go away. I'm dying." Kari whispers.  
"Ah, so your Mom cooked her special surprise meal again?" Gatomon asks merrily.  
"Yes. And it surprised her once again."  
"Well, then I think I'll skip the late night snack."  
"Yes. Do that. Oh, and Gatomon?" Kari whispers as the cat starts to walk out.  
"Hm? What is it, Kari?"  
"Turn off the lights please."  
"Errr okay... See you tomorrow then!" Gatomon answers and hits the light switch with her tail.  
"Only if I'm lucky..." Kari whispers in the darkness and closes her eyes again.  
  
Gatomon shakes her head.  
Kari somehow always eats her mother's food. And always she gets sick.  
_But what should I do? Lightning Paw Kari's mother?_  
She briefly considers this. Finally she shakes her head again.  
Kari has been her only source of joy. Now Gatomon would just have to-  
_Wait! What am I thinking? Renamon is still here! And I bet she misses me!_  
Gatomon smiles as she sneaks to Ruki's room.  
_I guess Ruki will have to get used to sleep in a furry bed._ she thinks and snickers.  
She quietly opens the door to Ruki's room and quickly closes it behind her.  
Gatomon blinks. The kitchen light has been quite bright so she is virtually blind in this dark room.  
_Oh well. I know my way._ Gatomon tells herself and takes off her gloves.  
Her paws make no noise as she sneaks over to the bed.  
In the bed, she can hear somebody sleep and grins.  
_Oh Renamon... You'll wake up drooling, I promise..._  
She moves under the blanket and starts exploring the space in front of her.  
The cat admits that she is thrilled. She has never done this blindly.  
Everything feels so new... so different.  
  
Renamon stirs slightly.  
She has heard something. But what could it be?  
The fox blinks and waits for her eyes to get used to the darkness.  
However, before she can see something, she hears somebody whisper.  
"Ohhh Rena..."  
Renamon frowns. She knows this voice.  
_What's going on here?_  
"Yeah, you like this, don't you?" Gatomon whispers.  
Renamon cocks her head. then she can hear another voice.  
"Davis... Yeah... Go on!" Ruki whispers.  
Slowly Renamon gets up from her sleeping place on the floor at the foot end of the bed.  
"Oh Rena..."  
"Oh Davis..."  
"Oh boy..." she mutters, turning on the light.  
  
Gatomon blinks.  
Since her eyes are still used to the brightness of the kitchen, her sight returns pretty fast.  
The first thing she sees is... Ruki.  
Ruki is keeping her eyes closed since the sudden light has blinded her.  
Gatomon looks at the Tamer. Then she realizes something.  
Ruki is lying in her bed. Right in front of Gatomon.  
Finally the girl opens her eyes and blinks.  
"G-Gatomon?" she mutters.  
Then she blinks agasin and blushes.  
Gatomon, realizing where her paws have been, also blushes.  
"Hey, Gatomon, what're you doing under Ruki's blanket?" Renamon asks.  
Gatomon is surprised by Renamon's voice. The fox is completely calm.  
Naive, innocent and curious as always.  
Ruki's eyes widen now.  
_Oh boy. Here we go again._  
  
Kari blinks in the darkness.  
She is not dead. If she had died, the pain in her stomach would have stopped.  
Since she doesn't seem to die anytime soon, she tries to drag herself to her room.  
But after two meters, her body decides that she has walked enough.  
Kari blinks again. The room has become larger. Higher.  
Then she realizes that her head is lying on the floor.  
She can hear voices somewhere in the distance.  
"It has been an acci-"  
*WHAM*  
"Ruki! Drop that chair!"  
*CRASH*  
"Please! How should I-"  
*RUMBLE*  
*pause*  
*squeek*  
"Darn."  
"I could have told you that the bed is too heavy to be used as a club."  
"SHUT UP!"  
Kari blinks again.  
_Nightmares... I'll never touch Mom's food again..._  
  
Gatomon hurries out of Ruki's room, trying not to get hit by the stuff being thrown after her.  
_My God! What have I been thinking? Have I been thinking at all?_  
She zips down the corridor, hearing Ruki behind her.  
"Come back you furball of perversion!"  
The snow-white cat knows that she only has one chance.  
Well, two chances in fact. But she doesn't really want to leave the country.  
"Kari! Kari! Help! Evil girl chasing me!" she shouts.  
A moment later she charges into the kitchen and trips over her partner.  
It doesn't take her long to realize that Kari wouldn't be a great help like this.  
"Here kitty-kitty-kitty..." Ruki hisses, standing in the door.  
Gatomon can see Renamon behind Ruki, but the Digimon is simply frowning.  
"Ruki! Please don't! I thought that you were Renamon!" the cat whispers.  
"How could you possibly think that?" Ruki hisses.  
Gatomon blushes and laughs nervously.  
"Well... errr... I felt some... fur... down there..." Gatomon stammers and points between Ruki's legs.  
  
Renamon blinks and cocks her head.  
While her Tamer chases her lover through the kitchen, she stands in the corridor, lost in thought.  
When Gatomon and Ruki finally leave the kitchen, she approaches Kari.  
"Ummm... Kari?" she asks and looks down.  
"Help. Me."  
Renamon sighs and carries Kari into her room.  
She places the DigiDestined in her bed and frowns.  
"Kari? May I ask you something?"  
Kari opens her eyes and nods weakly.  
"Do girls have fur? Down there, I mean..." Renamon asks and points between Kari's legs.  
  
"Thanks a lot, Veemon." Aquaveemon whispers.  
Veemon smiles and looks down so she can't see that he's blushing.  
"What for? I mean, I enjoyed this just as much as you did." he answers.  
"For being such a great guy. I mean... you've been so patient and calm..."  
Veemon chuckles and shakes his head.  
"Whatever gave you this idea?" he asks her.  
"Well... you've been so nice all the time... but I must have bored you to death..."  
This time, Aquaveemon looks down. But Veemon doubts that she is blushing.  
"Hey, what's wrong? I really enjoyed this evening..." he whispers, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
"No. I always bore and annoy people." Aquaveemon sobs.  
She tries to run into the apartment, but Veemon stops her.  
"Please let me go! This has been a mistake from the start!" she cries.  
Veemon is surprised when she suddenly pushes him away.  
_She's stronger than I thought!_ he admits.  
But before he can say anything, Aquaveemon has closed the door behind her.  
"A-Aquaveemon?" he whispers, staring at the closed door.  
He waits for some minutes. Then he curses.  
_What happened? She has been so happy and then she's running away crying._  
He shakes his head, knowing that he'd only wake Isis' parents if he used the doorbell.  
Finally he sighs.  
_Okay. She thinks I'm patient and calm. Let's add 'stubborn' and 'determined' to this list._  
Nodding, he walks to the elevator.  
  
Aquaveemon is sitting on the couch, crying and pitying herself.  
_You're such a moron! How could you do this to him?_  
She shakes her head.  
Veemon has been a real gentleman. And she just ran away.  
_He probably hates me for this. God, why did I do it?_  
  
_God, why am I doing this?_ Veemon asks himself.  
He balances on the edge of the balcone and looks up.  
Then he looks down and gulps.  
"Okay. Only seven more floors." he whispers.  
Then he jumps up, holding on to the rail of the balcony above him.  
Thanking all the 'training' he has had during the past few weeks, he pulls himself up.  
After a minute he is balancing on the edge of this balcony.  
"Okay. Only six more floors."  
_Boy, why does she have to live ten floors above the ground?_  
  
"Aquaveemon? Is that you?" Isis asks, rubbing her eyes.  
The Digimon sniffs and looks up.  
Isis instantly frowns and sits down next to her partner.  
"You're... crying. What happened? Did Veemon do something mean?"  
Aquaveemon quickly shakes her head.  
"No. He's been perfect... But... I freaked." Aquaveemon admits.  
The DigiDestined embraces her partner.  
"I know what you're going through. You've had a rough start."  
"And now they'll probably hate me, too!" Aquaveemon cries.  
Isis strokes her head and sighs.  
She jumps when something gently knocks at the balcony door.  
"A burglar?" Isis whispers.  
"A burglar who knocks before he breaks into a house?"  
"Okay, then it's no burglar. But who... or what is it?"  
Aquaveemon carefully approaches the door and blinks.  
"It's... Veemon?"  
"Please let me in! We have to talk!"  
Veemon's voice is muffled by the glass door.  
Aquaveemon steps back and shakes her head frantically.  
"Please!" Veemon insists.  
"Why don't you let him in?" Isis asks Aquaveemon.  
"No! He's probably mad at me!"  
  
Isis can see Veemon sigh on the balcony.  
Then the little dragon climbs onto the edge of their balcony.  
"Errrr... Aquaveemon?" Isis whispers.  
"No!" the young Digimon replies turning away from the balcony.  
Veemon gives Isis a sad look. Then he lifts his hand and does a typical 'bye-bye' gesture.  
"NO! DON'T JUMP!" Isis yells and quickly opens the door.  
Veemon sighs and jumps towards her.  
"It's about time." he mutters.  
"W-Would you... I mean... Would you really-" Isis stammers.  
"Oh please. Aquaveemon's a friend, but this is a bit over the top."  
"A... friend? Even after I freaked out like this?"  
Isis turns around. Aquaveemon is now looking at the balcony again.  
Then she looks at Veemon again and smiles.  
"Okay, I guess you two have some talking to do. I'll be in my room if you need me."  
_Although I really doubt that._ Isis adds silently and smiles.  



	9. Digivolution = respect?

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 9  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
_Okay, so far so good._ Veemon thinks.  
Slowly he approaches Aquaveemon, who seems to be rather nervous.  
"Hey, what's wrong? I thought we were friends. Like a family." he whispers.  
Aquaveemon slowly walks backwards, bumping into the couch.  
"I... I didn't know why- I... I'm sorry." she answers and slowly shakes her head.  
Veemon can see that she is crying and bites his lower lip.  
Then he makes a final step and puts his hand on her shoulder.  
"No need to apologize. Now. Do you want to talk about it?"  
She looks up at him and frowns.  
Finally she jumps onto the couch and sighs. Veemon climbs onto the couch, too.  
"Things have been really bad in the States." she finally begins.  
"Well, I have met some of your... old playmates." Veemon mutters.  
"Tsk. Compared to their usual way, they have been really nice that day."  
"They wanted to beat you up." Veemon reminds her.  
"Yes. But these wounds would have healed quickly. But they... they..."  
Veemon puts a hand on her shoulder again to comfort her while she buries her face in her hands.  
"They taunted me! Treated me like a freak! An outcast! Only because... because..."  
Her words become a whisper and Veemon leans over to her. Still he can't hear the last words.  
"Because of what? Why didn't they like you?"  
"Because I can't even digivolve!" Aquaveemon cries, almost shouting the words.  
  
_I didn't run away._  
Gatomon shakes her head and sighs.  
_I simply... moved to a better tactical position._  
She grits her teeth because the cold night air sends shivers down her spine.  
"At least I have a nice view." she mutters.  
The house Kari lives in is one of the highest buildings in the neighbourhood.  
From her (tactically chosen) position on the roof, she can see most parts of the city.  
"Yes, it's not bad."  
Gatomon whirls around and sighs when she sees Renamon standing in front of her.  
Instantly she jumps up at the fox and gives her a long hug.  
"Now tell me why Ruki is mad." Renamon says, still not getting the point.  
"Well, I wanted to... be with you. But it was so dark and I accidently touched..."  
Gatomon blinks when she hears herself say this.  
"Yeah. Darkness. And I relied on my sense of touch. And then I... touched... her..."  
"You touched my Tamer?" Renamon asks with wide eyes.  
"That's it!" Gatomon whispers, ignoring the fox.  
"Are you insane?"  
Gatomon grins. She has just had the perfect idea for Veemon and Aquaveemon.  
  
Veemon cocks his head and looks at the crying Digimon.  
"So what?" he asks.  
Aquaveemon looks up at Veemon and snarls.  
"Don't mock me!" she snaps.  
Veemon frowns when he hears her accusing tone.  
"Hey, I'm not! But I don't get it. How long have you been with Isis?"  
She blinks, surprised by the question.  
"Well... I met her two weeks before you defeated MaloMyotismon."  
He snickers when he hears that.  
"I told you not to mock me!" she cries again.  
"Hey, I didn't mean to mock you. I just had to think of some stories I've heard."  
"About me, I guess." she mutters.  
"No. About Renamon."  
She cocks her head and gives him a questioning look.  
"She had been with Ruki for more than an year. And she digivolved her first time some weeks ago."  
Aquaveemon gasps.  
"B-But she's so strong! How..."  
"She worked hard and ignored the taunts." he answers.  
_Even though Ruki did all the taunting..._  
  
"So... you want to say that you won't pity me or something like this?"  
Aquaveemon bites her lower lip and looks at Veemon.  
"Geez, of course not!" he cheers.  
He is relieved when he sees her smile again.  
"But do you think I will ever... well... manage to do it?"  
"Yes. When the time has come to save those you love, you will find the strength."  
She nods.  
"When did Renamon digivolve?"  
Veemon sighs when he recalls the evening.  
"It had been some days before the law to protect us has become official."  
He shakes his head when he remembers what the humans had done to them.  
"Some company kidnapped our partners and Renamon tried to stop them."  
"I think I've heard of that event." Aquaveemon mutters.  
"Renamon got hit by the van and then somebody shot her. Then... it happened."  
"So it happened when she desperatly wanted to help her partner?"  
Veemon nods.  
"This is the way it usually happens. Just ask anybody about their first time."  
"Really? When has been your first time?"  
"Armor or Champion?" he asks, praying that she would pick the first.  
"Champion." she whispers.  
"Errrr... This is a dumb story, you don't want to hear it." he answers and blushes.  
"Come on! Please!"  
_Me and my big mouth._  
And so Veemon starts to tell her the story. Beginning with Davis' dumb plan.  
He even tells her why the Tortomon has been angry.  
When he finishes his story, Aquaveemon is grinning like mad.  
"This is so great! Really!" she mutters and laughs.  
Happy to see her laughing again, he smiles, too.  
  
Still fuming (and slightly out of breath), Ruki arrives on the roof.  
She adjusts her grip on the wooden hammer she found in the kitchen.  
The hammer is normally used for steaks, so Ruki finds it perfect for her cause.  
"Here kitty kitty kitty..." she whispers and steps out onto the roof.  
Instantly she starts to shiver. Her nightgown is too thin for walks outside.  
But she decides that she has no time for changing into something warmer.  
Gatomon simply has to suffer. As fast as possible. As much as possible.  
She turns around and smiles when she sees fur move some meters away.  
After some steps she realizes however that the fur is golden.  
Still she sneaks closer. Finally she sighs.  
Renamon is curled up around Gatomon. Both Digimon are sleeping peacefully.  
And they're shivering.  
Ruki shakes her head, feeling sorry for the Digimon.  
_Maybe I really overreacted. It has been an accident after all._  
When she approaches the couple, Renamon suddenly opens her eyes.  
"Bring her into the apartment or you'll catch a cold." Ruki whispers.  
Renamon only looks at the hammer and frowns.  
"Don't worry. I won't hurt her. I've cooled down." Ruki assured her.  
Nodding slowly, Renamon picks up the sleeping cat and carries her into the house.  
  
Veemon yawns as he walks through the dark streets.  
Few cars pass him at this time of night.  
_Good thing Aquaveemon isn't sad anymore._  
He has been surprised by the stories about her life in the US.  
_Well, at least she has friends here._  
_"Only friends?"_ somebody next to him mutters.  
Veemon groans when he sees the small evil Veemon walking next to him.  
_Only friends. It would be unfair to take advantage of her situation._  
_"Is that the only reason you don't tell her you love her?"_  
Veemon blinks when he sees his good side join them.  
_Yes. That is the only reason._  
_"You're a coward and a liar. We know about your fears."_ the good Veemon says.  
_"Yeah. You fear rejection, dude."_ he evil side adds.  
Veemon sighs and nods. The time with Gatomon has scarred him.  
_I won't tell her. Not now._  
_"Loser."_ both imaginary Veemons mutter and disappear.  
  
Gatomon spends most of the next day preparing her new master plan.  
At six in the evening, she picks up the receiver.  
This is Hawkmon, who is there?  
"The kitty of love!" Gatomon cheers.  
Oh. Hi. Hawkmon mutters.  
"Listen, I've got the perfect plan! This one can't fail!"  
Oh. Great.  
_Somehow he doesn't sound too thrilled..._  
"Whatever. Here's the plan..."  
  
Hawkmon sighs and smiles.  
_That plan will never work. Never._ he tells himself.  
"Okay, you know your job?" Gatomon asks once again.  
Hawkmon nods and looks at the abandoned warehouse.  
It's one of many in this region, not far away from Veemon's place.  
"I hide and call for help. When Veemon and Aquaveemon come in, I run out and we lock the entry."  
"Exactly." Gatomon says and nods.  
_Geez. Locking them up in a dark room for one night. Tsk._  
"When will they come?"  
"Oh, they should come in a few minutes." Gatomon answers and holds up Kari's cell phone.  
"And all other entries are locked?" Hawkmon asks her again.  
"Yes. Only this small whole in the wall is left."  
_Soon Aquaveemon will be mine. I bet Veemon will act like the moron he is._  
  
"Gatomon? Are you here?" Veemon shouts.  
"She sounded very nervous when she phoned me." Aquaveemon mutters.  
She still can't believe that Gatomon has actually asked her to help.  
Of course she instantly departed and ran most of the way.  
That way she has met Veemon, who has also been alerted by the cat.  
"I'm here! Hurry!" they hear Gatomon shout.  
Aquaveemon tries to make out the cat in the darkness in front of them.  
It has been eight when she got the call, and the street is barely illuminated.  
Finally she can see Gatomon standing near one of the warehouses.  
"Thank God you are here!" the Champion Digimon whispers when they are near her.  
"What happened?" Veemon asks her.  
"It... it was so dumb... Hawkmon and I were playing explorers here... Oh God..."  
"Where is Hawkmon?" Aquaveemon asks and cocks her head.  
"He went into that warehouse through the small hole in the wall..."  
"And?" Veemon asks, raising an eyebrow.  
"And now he's calling for help! Something must have happened!"  
Aquaveemon looks at Veemon. Then she gives Gatomon a questioning look.  
"Why didn't you go to find out what happened?" she asks.  
"The hole isn't big enough for me!" Gatomon wails.  
"All right then. We'll go in and find out what happened." Veemon says.  
"Of course!" Aquaveemon adds.  
  
"Here it is." Gatomon whispers.  
"Help me! Oh God please help me!" she can hear Hawkmon call.  
_He should be nominated for the Academy Award._  
Veemon is the first one who crawls through the small hole.  
Aquaveemon follows quickly.  
"Hawkmon?" Veemon's voice can be heard.  
"Where are you? What happened?"  
After half a minute, Hawkmon sneaks out through the hole.  
"Hawkmon! Please say something!" Veemon shouts.  
Gatomon meanwhile is busy moving a large piece of wall to the hole.  
With a final sigh she closes the entry.  
"OH MY GOD! THE WALL COLLAPSED!" she shrieks.  
"What the-" Veemon shouts.  
"Gatomon! We're trapped!" Aquaveemon shouts.  
_Welcome to Gatomon's LoveTrap 3000!_  
"Don't worry! I'll get help! We'll do this the rough way now!" she shouts.  
"Yeah! Go and find Kari! Then you'll be able to smash the wall!" Veemon cheers.  
"I will do so! But she is on a date with T.K.! It will take a while!"  
"Then hurry. We still haven't found Hawkmon!" Aquaveemon mutters.  
Gatomon gives Hawkmon a look and grins. The bird Digimon just shrugs.  
"I will return as soon as possible!" Gatomon shouts.  
Then she slowly walks away, thanking Hawkmon when they're out of hearing range.  
"When will you get them out of there?" Hawkmon finally asks.  
"Oh. In a few hours." Gatomon answers and shrugs.  
_When the moaning has stopped._ she adds silently and grins.  



	10. The warehouse of love?

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 10  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"Now what?" Aquaveemon asks, trying to see something in the darkness.  
"We have to find Hawkmon. Maybe he needs our help." Veemon mutters.  
The two Digimon spend the next few minutes to search the room they are trapped in.  
"Have you found him?" Veemon asks after a while.  
"No, but I have found something else."  
Veemon hurries to where he heard her voice.  
"In this corner there is no concrete floor, but normal earth." she tells him.  
"So what?"  
"It feels as if somebody buried something here... or... got... buried..."  
Veemon gulps when he realizes what she is hinting at.  
Then he shakes his head.  
"Hawkmon would never try to dig his way out. He's a bird, not a mole." he tells her.  
"I hope you're right..."  
  
Hawkmon sails through the air with closed eyes.  
Gracefully avoiding buildings and other obstacles, he congratulates himself.  
He had been quite busy while hiding in the warehouse.  
_Gatomon's plan could even have worked! A good thing I've been there..._  
He had found the thermos bottle filled with coffee by accident.  
And he had smelled that Gatomon had mixed something into it.  
_Bet it was something to make them all... mellow-mellow._  
Of course he had made sure that they wouldn't find it.  
_As long as they don't start to dig it out..._  
He opens his eyes and looks at his talons.  
It has been hard digging a hole with his fine talons, but he had been desperate.  
_But what if her plan still works?_ he wonders.  
He frowns while flying towards his home.  
Then he turns into a street leading away from the house.  
"I have to know for sure..." he mutters.  
He'd wait together with Gatomon. Then he'd be sure.  
  
"Hello, sweetheart..." Davis whispers as Ruki opens the door.  
Instead of answering, Ruki gives him a long hug.  
"I guess that means you missed me, right?" the DigiDestined chuckles.  
"Oh yeah..." Ruki sighs, holding him close to her.  
She had feared he might leave her and run to this new girl.  
Normal boys would have done so. At least that's what her mother would have said.  
But according to her mother, no boy would like her at all.  
"Davis, you really love me, don't you?" she asks Davis.  
Davis hesitates slightly and gives her a strange look.  
For a second, Ruki fears that he might just leave now. That her dream ends here.  
"Of course I do, Ruki. I couldn't live witho-"  
Davis is silenced by Ruki planting her lips on his.  
Then he grunts as the Tamer pushes him against the opposite wall, still kissing him wildly.  
Ruki suddenly smiles when she remembers the last night.  
At least the few seconds before she had been woken by the nymphomanic cat Digimon.  
She admits she had enjoyed the feeling... and the dream she had just before waking up...  
"So, any plans for the evening?" Davis finally asks, breaking the kiss.  
The Tamer simply smiles. Then her smile becomes a grin.  
  
Veemon sighs as he asks himself once again how he could end up here.  
He hears Aquaveemon pace and sighs again.  
_Bad enough that I'm stuck here. But she doesn't deserve this._  
Davis' partner shakes his head. She had been so enthusiastic. And now... this.  
"I'm sorry." he mutters.  
The warehouse is suddenly very quiet since Aquaveemon has stopped pacing.  
"You're sorry? Why?" she asks and starts to approach him.  
"That I brought you here. I'm sure this is not the kind of adventure you expected."  
She snickers.  
"Hey, you didn't bring me here. Both of us came to help."  
"You're probably right. But... hm."  
"But what?" she asks, coming even closer.  
"But I feel guilty."  
"Because Hawkmon is your friend and I don't even know him?"  
Her sarcasm makes Veemon gulp although he is sure she didn't mean to hurt him.  
"No... I guess it's because I feel responsible... Being the so-called leader and all."  
"You're the leader of the Digimon?" she asks, sounding surprised.  
"Well... Not really. But if there is trouble, everybody asks Davis what to do."  
"Ah... And since you're his partner, you have been forced into this role, too?"  
Veemon simply sighs.  
He looks up when he hears her sit down next to him.  
"Know what? It's really nice of you to worry about the other's well-being like this."  
"Tsk. The others worry just as much as I do." he tells her.  
There is a long pause.  
"I think the others really see you as their leader." she finally whispers.  
"What makes you think so?"  
"I don't know... You're simply... special."  
  
Punch. Punch. Punch.  
_Maybe it's because of me._  
Punch. Punch. Punch.  
_I didn't leave her some free space._  
Punch. Punch. Punch.  
_But I love her! And she loves me!_  
Punch. Punch. Pause.  
"Doesn't she?" Renamon asks herself and frowns.  
The fox Digimon blinks and quickly checks if anybody is watching her.  
But the part of the park she is training in is dark and still empty.  
She sighs and resumes practicing her punches.  
Gatomon's repeated mystery trips were bothering her somehow.  
Punch. Punch. Punchpunch.  
_Why did she tell me not to follow her?_  
Her punches become faster.  
_What if she really is dating somebody?_  
Punchpunch. Punchpunch. Punchpunch.  
_Somebody... somebody..._  
Rena starts snarling when she remembers who Gatomon talked to at the airport.  
_Hawkmon._  
Punchpunchpunch. Punchpunchpunch. Punchpunchpunch.  
"Hawkmon!"  
Her fists become a single blurred motion now.  
"HAWKMON!"  
Her fists make cracking sounds as they break the sound barrier.  
With a scream, Renamon drives her fist against and through a tree.  
She gasps and blinks when the large tree starts crashing to the ground.  
Only now does she realize that her fist is glowing from the power of her Wisteria Punch.  
"Oh Gatomon... this can't be true..." she sighs.  
Then she decides not to jump to conclusions.  
"I've got to talk with Ruki. Maybe she can give me some advise."  
_Yes. Yes. I'm just making this up. Gatomon would never...?_  
  
Veemon and Aquaveemon try to stay busy by talking.  
While he tells her of his time with Davis, she tells her about life in America.  
During their chat, they slowly start to come closer to each other.  
Somehow Veemon starts to feel happy. He starts to ignore the situation he is in.  
He is together with a girl he likes. Alone. And she seems to like him, too.  
All his previous plans not to approach her seem to be forgotten.  
He simply wants to hold her. Kiss her. Tell her he loves her.  
Smiling, he moves closer. Closer.  
Then, all of a sudden, the strange feeling is gone.  
Thinking straight again, Veemon quickly moves away again.  
After some polite coughs from both sides, the two Digimon start to chat again.  
  
_Nice try, Gatomon. Really clever._ Hawkmon admits.  
He takes the CD out of the Discman and slowly crawls out of the ventilation shaft again.  
_A good thing I approached the building from this side._ he tells himself.  
It had been luck that he heard the whispering voice coming out of the ventilation shaft.  
Gatomon had connected Kari's Discman to some small speakers.  
The CD Hawkmon is holding now is filled with whispered messages.  
He shakes his head to get rid of the effects of the voice.  
_I should have guessed that her Cat's Eyes wouldn't be her only hypnosis trick._  
Just before he had stopped the playback, the voice had become more commanding.  
_"Hug her. You are destined for each other. You love her. Kiss her. Kiss her. Kiss-"_  
He shakes his head again to get rid of the urge to kiss the lamppost he is leaning against.  
_I just hope I haven't been too late._  
He looks at the small disc and flexes his talons. Then he thinks about it.  
_Maybe I should keep it. It could be useful someday..._ he thinks and smiles.  
  
Davis Motomiya blinks wildly and tries not to hyperventilate.  
His girlfriend, the love of his life, is pressing herself against him. Closely.  
And she purrs.  
His eyes dart around, scanning the living room Ruki is guiding him into.  
"P-p-parents?" he manages to ask, trying not to sweat.  
Then he remembers that this is the one question he shouldn't have asked.  
But somehow Ruki's smile widens even more.  
"My Mom's a complete reality away..." she purrs and kisses his cheek.  
"B-B-But... you... me... Kari? Digimon? Her parents?" he stammers.  
Even the encounter with MaloMyotismon hasn't prepared him for close contact with a girl.  
"Oh yeah. I'm here, you're here. That's all that counts."  
The DigiDestined of Courage calms down enough to form complete sentences.  
"What're you thinking? We're much too young to actually... well... do you-know-what."  
Ruki hesitates and thinks about this.  
"Right. But we could just... get to know each other..." she finally purrs.  
Finally Davis starts smiling, too.  
His smile freezes when he feels her firm grip on his behind.  
_Guess that's why they're called Tamers..._ Davis guesses and grins.  
  
Veemon silently curses Gatomon. And Hawkmon.  
And all the others who are remotely linked to his current situation.  
"It's been over an hour now." he hisses.  
When he receives no answer, he turns his head.  
In the darkness he can make out the Aquaveemon sitting next to him.  
He frowns when he sees that she is hugging her knees - and shivering.  
Biting his lower lip, he puts his arm around her and moves a bit closer.  
The female Digimon looks up at him.  
"Better?" he whispers into her ear.  
"T-Thanks. Guess I'm not used to this." she answers and sighs.  
"Lucky you." Veemon mutters.  
He can feel the warmth of Aquaveemon's body and keeps chewing on his lips.  
_This is not romantic. This is not romantic._ he keeps reminding himself.  
"Why lucky me?" Aquaveemon asks after a while.  
"Well, I didn't exactly wish for all of this. The danger, the long cold nights..."  
"Oh. Sorry. I never saw it this way."  
"No problem. We didn't choose our way of life."  
He can feel her snuggling closer to him now and frowns.  
_It's... just getting colder. Have to keep her warm._ he tells himself.  
Then he hears a stifled yawn and smiles.  
"Try to sleep. I'll wake you when something happens." he whispers.  
"Thanks. But I think I'll... I gotta... stay..."  
Aquaveemon doesn't manage to finish her sentence as she falls asleep instantly.  
Veemon sighs and starts to review the evening.  
_Come on Gatomon. It can't be that hard to find Kari!_  



	11. Doubting the basics

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 11  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Ruki gasps when she feels Davis' hands on her body.  
_What would Mom say if she saw me right now?_ she thinks and smiles.  
Then her smile widens when she thinks of an answer.  
_"Been there, done that, got the shirt ripped off."_  
She kisses the DigiDestined and giggles.  
They had agreed to leave the clothes on this time.  
_I may be my mother's daughter, but I'm not my mother._ she tells herself.  
Of course, rules can be stretched to a certain extent.  
And so Ruki gasps again when Davis' hand touches her chest again.  
This time under her shirt.  
  
Gatomon sighs.  
No moaning. No gasping. No sounds coming out of the warehouse.  
Next to her, Hawkmon frowns.  
"I don't understand it! How can anybody resist in a situation like this?" she asks quietly.  
"Maybe they aren't in the mood..." Hawkmon muses with a smile.  
"The mixture I left them could have turned Joe into a sex-machine."  
Hawkmon gasps when he realizes just how many love-drugs she had mixed into the coffee.  
"Maybe they didn't find it?"  
Gatomon sighs and nods.  
"Guess you're right, Hawkmon." she mutters and starts opening the entry again.  
  
Renamon shakes her head.  
Four trees, three rocks and two cars have become victims of her rage so far.  
Her paw hurts, but she doesn't care.  
"Gatomon, how could you?" she whispers.  
_Wait wait wait! You're jumping to conclusions again!_ her inner voice warns her.  
The fox Digimon sighs. She needs somebody to talk to. And there is only one person who can understand her.  
She fades out of the park and appears in her room.  
Even while her vision adjusts to the darkness of the room, Renamon starts to talk.  
"Ruki, wake up please. I really need somebody to-"  
By now she is able to see her surroundings again.  
And she sees that Ruki is not sleeping.  
Or alone. Davis and Ruki are gasping.  
But Renamon doubts that they are gasping because of her sudden arrival.  
Actually, neither of them has noticed her so far.  
_Maybe something is wrong with them._ Renamon muses, having never seen humans do something like this.  
She puts her paw on her Tamer's shoulder.  
"Ruki, are you all right?" she asks, worrying about the girl's well-being.  
Slowly, Ruki's eyes focus on Renamon. Then the Tamer freezes.  
"Hey, what's wrong, sweety? What are you-" Davis mumbles and turns his head.  
"-looking... at... Oh... my... God..."  
Renamon now can see Davis' hands. Or rather: she sees why she can't see them.  
Both are somewhere under Ruki's clothing.  
"Let me guess: I should have knocked?" Renamon asks and laughs nervously.  
Before Ruki can answer anything, Renamon disappears again.  
  
Ruki feels the urge to scream. But somehow she can't.  
After a few seconds she realizes what prevents her from doing it:  
Davis' lips are already on hers again, trying to continue what they have done before.  
She struggles briefly, and Davis lets her go.  
"R-R-Renamon! She saw us!" Ruki gasps desperately.  
"Oh yeah... But hey, this somehow gives it a naughty touch, right?" Davis whispers.  
Ruki blushes slightly.  
She admits that she had been thrilled somehow.  
The sudden adrenaline rush has certainly given her new energy.  
"You're right... Now come and kiss your naughty Tamer lady..." she purrs and smiles.  
  
"Psssst, Veemon!" Gatomon hisses.  
"Over here!" Gatomon can hear Veemon whisper.  
"Sorry it took so long. But I didn't find Kari and it took me ages to free you manually."  
"It's okay. Hey, Aquaveemon, wake up!" Veemon hisses.  
Gatomon flexes her claws in the darkness.  
_Aquaveemon has been SLEEPING?_  
She almost curses loudly, but decides that not everything is lost yet.  
_Maybe tomorrow. I'll have to think of something. Something foolproof._  
She cocks her head.  
_Something foolproof enough for this set of fools._ she corrects herself.  
  
Some minutes later, Renamon is lying in the living room, curled up into a small furry ball with eyes.  
Although it isn't cold inside the apartment, she is shivering.  
She wouldn't have thought that she could feel this lonely.  
Even when Ruki had been known as the Ice Queen, it hadn't been like this.  
Now Renamon can't even visit her Tamer because of this boy!  
And Gatomon... well...  
_...she's probably having a good time with Hawkmon._ the fox thinks bitterly.  
She sobs and blinks.  
_No. I'm just making this up. Hawkmon would never..._ she tells herself.  
  
Hawkmon sighs happily as he puts one wing around Gatomon's shoulder.  
"How could this happen?" Gatomon asks and points at Veemon and Aquaveemon.  
Hawkmon hides his smile as he watches the two Digimon walking down the street.  
They are just walking. Not even holding hands or something like that.  
_Perfect. Perfect!_ he cheers silently.  
He gives the cat a hug, imagining her to be Aquaveemon.  
Then he freezes when he feels her claws at his chest.  
"What are you doing?" Gatomon whispers, making Hawkmon gulp.  
"Errrr... Just wanted to tell you that I am just as sad as you are." he stammers.  
She blinks and smirks.  
"Oh... Well, thanks. But I think I'll just go home now."  
"Sure. We deserve some rest."  
  
After having said good-bye to Aquaveemon at an intersection, he walks through the streets alone.  
_"I don't know... You're simply... special."_  
Her words won't leave his head.  
_Does this mean she... likes me? Loves me?_  
He sighs and shakes his head.  
She is the new girl in town. Shy and inexperienced.  
He doesn't want to risk anything, not wanting to drive her away or hurt her.  
"Oh hi Veemon."  
"Hi T.K." Veemon replies.  
Then he freezes.  
"T.K.?" he asks and raises his head.  
The DigiDestined of Hope is walking next to him. Alone.  
And he does not seem to come from Kari's home. The direction is all wrong.  
  
"Where are you coming from?" Veemon asks and frowns.  
"Oh, I just decided to go out for a walk." the boy answers and shrugs.  
"So your date with Kari is over already?"  
"Date? Kari?" T.K. asks and takes a look around.  
"Yeah. Gatomon told us you were dating Kari and that she couldn't find-"  
Veemon stops talking when he realizes what this would implicate.  
"You... haven't been out with Kari tonight?" he carefully asks.  
"Errr... no. Why do you ask?"  
"N-N-Nothing. M-My fault." Veemon stammers and tries to smile.  
_What if Kari lied when she told Gatomon about her date with T.K.?_ he thinks.  
He gulps.  
_What if she has actually dated somebody tonight?_  
Veemon frowns. He would never have imagined Kari to be like this.  
Maybe Ruki has influenced her...  
_But who would Kari date if not T.K.?_  
Suddenly Veemon realizes who would be the perfect candidate.  
_Oh my God... What if she approached Davis?_  
The dragon Digimon does not know whether to cheer or to cry.  
_Please please please! Don't let this happen!_  
Then another thought crosses his mind.  
_What if she dated... Isis?_  
  
Gatomon enters the apartment through the kitchen window.  
She ignores the food Kari has left for her and walks into the living room.  
_I wonder if I should visit Renamon..._ she thinks.  
Then she remembers what had happened the last time she tried something like that.  
"G-Gatomon?" she hears a weak voice coming from a dark corner.  
"Renamon? Is that you?" she asks, walking to the corner.  
Finally she can make out her beloved furball and smiles.  
"I missed you so much..." Renamon whispers and slowly assumes a sitting position.  
Gatomon smiles as she approaches the golden fox she loves.  
"Awwww... I missed-"  
Her words are cut off by a low snarl coming from Renamon.  
"Wh-What's wrong?" Gatomon asks and cocks her head.  
"You've been with... him, right?" Renamon whispers.  
"Excuse me?"  
"Hawkmon's smell is all over you!" Renamon almost howls.  
_Geez, must have happened when that crazy bird hugged me! But why is she so mad?_  
"Hey, what's-"  
The cat is startled when Renamon grabs her shoulders.  
"Why didn't you just tell me that you weren't happy with me anymore?"  
  
"Not happy with you? What are you talking about?" Gatomon asks and cocks her head.  
"Please don't do this. Don't lie to me. I've seen you talk to him. You told me to stay away."  
Gatomon's eyes widen when she realizes what Renamon must be thinking.  
"You think that Hawkmon... and I...?" she stammers.  
"Don't worry. I won't try to intervene because it would only make you sad." Renamon whispers and sobs.  
Gatomon gulps. She never thought about Renamon's feelings.  
At the same time she is impressed by the way Renamon is dealing with this.  
"Even if it is one-sided, I still love you and wish to see you happy. So I won't hurt Hawkmon."  
The Chapmpion Digimon sighs and smiles.  
"Renamon. You are a paranoid, furry terminator." she mutters, making Renamon blink.  
"But you are MY paranoid, furry terminator. And I would never leave you." she continues.  
"So that means that you and Hawkmon aren't..." Renamon whispers.  
"Trust me, there is nothing between us that you don't know-"  
Gatomon gasps when Renamon hugs her, driving the air out of her lungs.  
When the fox releases her, the cat coughs.  
"Guess I owe you an explanation." Gatomon finally admits.  
"Later. Later." Renamon suddenly purrs and smiles.  
The fox starts nuzzling Gatomon's neck, causing her to giggle.  
"We really should go into a room..." Gatomon whispers.  
"Bad luck. Kari's in her room, and Davis is ravishing Ruki in her room."  
"He is WHAT?" Gatomon snaps.  
"I'll show you what I saw him do..." Renamon purrs again.  
This time the fox is grinning.  
  
_This has really been a weird evening._  
Aquaveemon yawns and shakes her head.  
The evening had not been like what she had expected.  
It had been better.  
She smiles as she remembers the warm feeling as she leaned against Veemon's chest.  
_Is it really love? Could it be?_  
Aquaveemon hums merrily as she dances through the streets.  
_God, if I could just tell him I love him!_  
She sighs and frowns.  
"And then what? I bet he hears that from everybody. He's a legend after all."  
_Although I have seen that they aren't really as legendary as everybody thinks._  
Still she has to admit that Veemon is famous.  
And he'd probably laugh when she told him about her feelings.  
"Oh, why do I have to love him?" she cries and shakes her head.  



	12. Dark secrets

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 12  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Kari Kamiya is in her room, trying to control her emotions.  
Finally she takes out a small book and starts to write something.  
Dear diary.  
Somehow it always helped writing down what is on her mind.  
I am the only normal person in this apartment.  
Everything had been normal until the day Ruki and Renamon moved in.  
Ruki, the tomboy Digimon Tamer. And Renamon, the swift killer machine.  
Now, things are a bit different.  
At the moment, Ruki is doing... naughty stuff with Davis.  
Yes. Davis. My former admirer.  
And in the living room, my Digimon partner is doing... stuff with Ruki's Digimon partner.  
That leaves me. I'm...  
"I'm..." Kari whispers and frowns.  
I'm feeling so alone although T.K. would do anything to prove his love for me.  
And he is most likely able to do... this stuff...  
The girl blushes, then growls.  
I know it since it has been tested... by Renamon!  
  
"Yes, I know it, don't I?" she asks herself angrily.  
Then she realizes that she has never talked to Renamon about this subject.  
The fox Digimon could tell her... more about T.K....  
"How could I forget aking her about this event?" Kari asks herself.  
Smiling, Kari marches to her door, determined not to wait any longer.  
Lost in thoughts, Kari walks to Renamon, who is moving slowly on the carpet.  
"Renamon?" she asks innocently, tapping the Digimon's shoulder.  
Just when she has done so, she realizes what Renamon is doing there.  
"Oh Gato... Gato..." the fox moans, her head slowly turning towards Kari, who blushes.  
"Gato... Gato... Kari... Ka-OW!" Renamon yelps.  
"You sicko! Are you dreaming of HER when I-Oh." Kari hears Gatomon hiss.  
"I-I-I shou-shou-" Kari stammers, knowing that 90 percent of her blood is in her head by now.  
"Don't tell me you want to join us because T.K. dumped you or something." Renamon mutters.  
"Tha-Tha- T.K.? Oh... I... wanted to talk to you... about him..." Kari whispers.  
By now she knows that this hasn't been her greatest idea.  
Renamon looks into Kari's eyes, as if looking for something.  
To Kari it feels as if the Digimon is staring straight into her soul.  
"I see." Renamon mutters and gently moves away from Gatomon.  
Kari groans when she sees where Gatomon has been the whole time.  
  
Kari sighs as she sits down at the kitchen table next to Renamon.  
Gatomon has stayed in the living room.  
"Renamon... I wanted to ask you something about that night you spent with... T.K.."  
She can hear the fox whine next to her.  
"I told you I hadn't been myself." Renamon defends herself.  
Smiling, Kari puts her hand on Renamon's shoulder.  
"I'm not mad. I... just wanted to ask you something..." she whispers.  
The DigiDestined freezes when she feels a paw at her waist.  
Renamon moves closer to her, and Kari quickly jumps to her feet.  
"Huh? Oh geez... Sorry! It's just that I'm still... you know..." Renamon stammers.  
"Save it for Gatomon. I only want to know one thing: How was it?"  
Renamon frowns and looks up at her from her seat.  
When she has realized Kari's motivation, the fox grins.  
  
"Well, without Renamon around, I might as well think of a new plan." Gatomon mutters.  
All her previous plans have failed miserably.  
_Just give them a good start and they should do the rest..._  
The cat scratches her head, trying to think of a good situation.  
_Something very intimate. But it shouldn't be humiliating. And it should look like a coincidence._  
She snickers when she remembers how she and Renamon had fooled in the pond in the park.  
"Our first time... the night she told me she loves me." Gatomon whispers.  
This situation had been quite intimate, but not humiliating. Just like the warehouse.  
"It should have been perfect! What has gone wrong?"  
  
"Well, glad to hear you've decided to seduce T.K.." Renamon purrs.  
Kari blushes and shakes her head.  
"I never said anything like that!" she protests.  
"Oh. Of course. Well, T.K. is impotent." Renamon tells her.  
The DigiDestined frantically grabs the fox's chest fur.  
"NO! You're lying! This can't be! Never!" she cries.  
Then she realizes that Renamon is grinning again.  
"I knew it. You do want him. Right?" the Digimon asks.  
"Oh all right. Yes, I want him." she admits with a sigh.  
Renamon starts stroking Kari's hair and purrs.  
"So you finally want to make good use of your room."  
_I really should have waited with this until Renamon had had some time to cool off._  
  
Gatomon quickly writes a note telling where she is going before jumping out through a window.  
She closes her eyes as she sails through the air. With a soft sigh she lands on the next roof.  
Then she moves on, determined to learn from her previous mistakes.  
_The plan had been brilliant, still it failed. But why?_  
Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, Gatomon tries to think of something she missed.  
_The drink, the music, the setting, everything has been perfect!_ she tells herself.  
  
"Renamon, please. I'm serious." Kari hisses.  
She puts away the empty glass and looks at Renamon.  
The fox is wet from the water Kari has splashed her with and blinks.  
"O...kay. So you really want to know how T.K. has been in bed?" Renamon finally asks.  
Kari sits down again and nods.  
The water has definately helped Renamon find her cool self again.  
"Well, the most important thing first: We did not do... it." the Digimon tells her.  
Kari sighs in relief when she hears that.  
"We just... touched each other. T.K. has been very caring, considering I kinda rushed him."  
"So he did it only to keep you from running away again?" Kari hopes.  
"Errr... No. There has been desire in his eyes. So I guess he enjoyed it, too."  
The girl's head hits the kitchen table in resignation.  
"Hey, cheer up! I bet he thought of you while doing it!"  
"SHUT UP!" Kari suddenly shouts and runs out of the room.  
Renamon sighs and shakes her head.  
"And I thought Digimon have a complicated love life." she mutters.  
  
Gatomon shakes her head as her eyes inspect the empty warehouse again.  
"It should be here!" she hisses.  
But the thermos bottle has vanished.  
And there is no music. Gatomon frowns.  
The cat exits the building again and moves to the point she had used to get into the ventilation shafts.  
  
"Kari?" Renamon whispers as she enters the girl's room.  
"SCRAM!" Kari yells, making the fox flinch.  
Renamon sighs and walks to the bed Kari is sitting on.  
She can see that the girl is crying and feels guilty.  
Slowly she sits down next to Kari and puts an arm around her shoulder.  
"Hey... I'm sorry. But you ran away before I could tell you something important."  
Kari tries to move away from her, but Renamon holds the girl close to her.  
"What." Kari mutters, her head buried in her arms which are hugging her knees.  
"We Renamon are masters of seduction. Nobody is able to resist us." Renamon whispers.  
"Pah." Kari just mutters. But Renamon can hear that the girl is curious.  
"It's the truth. T.K. never had a chance. But I must say he did a great job in controlling himself."  
After a while, Kari looks up at her and blinks.  
"You mean... he has only been under some kind of spell?" the DigiDestined asks.  
Renamon nods and sees Kari smile in return.  
_Liar._ Renamon's inner voice taunts the fox.  
  
"What the..." Gatomon mutters.  
She stares at Kari's Discman and frowns.  
"Where's the disc?" the cat asks herself.  
_Somebody removed it. Probably the same somebody who made the bottle disappear._  
She takes the Discman and exits the ventilation shaft she has been in.  
Gatomon can think of only one Digimon who has had the chance to do both things.  
_It must have been Hawkmon. But why? This makes no sense!_  
She walks through the streets, toying with the empty Discman.  
_Did he fear this would have been overkill?_  
She cocks her head.  
_Or does he have some kind of grudge against Veemon?_  
The white cat stops and frowns shortly. Then she laughs.  
"Yeah. Right. Hawkmon. The personified Love and Sincerity. A grudge! That's a good one!"  
  
Kari seems to believe the story Renamon has made up.  
_Tsk. I wish I had seduction powers I could control._ she tells herself.  
Still, the young DigiDestined looks happy, and that's all that counts.  
"Renamon?" Kari asks after a while.  
"Yes, Kari?" Renamon asks softly.  
"Could you... prove that you have these powers?"  
Renamon's smile freezes as she stares at the girl.  
"It's not that I don't believe you... It's just that I could completely forget this incident."  
_Me and my big mouth._  
"Errrr... But how should I prove this? There is nobody around... except for..."  
She blinks and looks at Kari, who looks up at her, a hint of a smile visible on her face.  
"Oh no! I won't do this to you!" she instantly protests.  
"Please... Just to show it works. Of course, you shouldn't go all the way, if you know what I mean."  
This time, Renamon knows that the girl is hiding a huge smile.  
"Oh all right..." Renamon finally gives in.  
_Oh please, God, anybody? Just this once, HELP ME!_  
  
"Okay okay okay. Think Veemon, think!" Veemon whispers.  
The Dragon of Courage paces through Davis room, trying to think of a reasonable explanation.  
"Kari is a nice girl. A nice girl. The nice DigiDestined of Light." he reminds himself.  
Still, the facts tell him something else.  
_She made Gatomon believe she is on a date with T.K.. But T.K. doesn't know of any date._  
He cocks his head and frowns.  
_Maybe Kari does have a secret love. But who could it be?_  
Veemon quickly checks Kari's friends.  
_Tai? God no! Davis? Yeah, right. Hmmm... Ruki? Nah. That'd be impossible to keep secret._  
He stops pacing when he is unable to think of a secret love.  
Then he smiles when he has an idea. _Renamon could help me! She can spy on people and stuff!_  
He nods happily and walks to the phone.  
  
"Kaaaaariiiiii..." Renamon whispers.  
She stares right into the girl's eyes, trying to hypnotize her.  
The Digimon has chosen to become semi-transparent, using her tail as a pendulum.  
_My God, I think it's starting to work!_ she realizes.  
"You are under my power, Kari!" she whispers as Kari's eyes follow her swaying tail.  
"You-"  
She curses when the phone suddenly starts to ring.  
Kari blinks in confusion while Renamon answers the phone.  
"Kamiya residence, Renamon speaking." she sighs, becoming completely visible again.  
Perfect! It's me, Veemon! And I wanted to talk to you!  
"Oh. So what do you want?" Renamon asks flatly.  
Hey, you sound annoyed. What's up did I wake you up or something?  
"No, you didn't. It's just that-"  
Oh God, don't tell me that you just errr... did... errr... Gatomon?  
"No. She isn't here. I was just trying to seduce Kari." Renamon says, making Kari snicker.  
You WHAT?  
"Hey, she asked for it! Ask her if you like. She's right here."  
Oh. Errr... Nevermind, wasn't that important anyway... Veemon excuses himself.  
"No prob." Renamon mutters and pushes the button to disconnect.  
"Now, where were we?" she groans and looks at Kari.  
  
"Oh my God oh my God oh my God!"  
Veemon sinks to his knees, his brain now filling the blank spots of his theory.  
"Kari and Renamon! Of course! That's why she is lying to Gatomon!"  
_How sick! Dating- SEDUCING her partner's love! But why? WHY?_  
Then he realizes it. It is so obvious.  
"Revenge. So simple. She didn't get over the fact that T.K. slept with Renamon." he mutters.  
"And because she can't be happy, she doesn't allow anybody else to be happy!"  
_I'm too late to save Gatomon and T.K.. But I can- No, I MUST save Davis and Ruki!_  
"Not to forget Yolei and Ken! Although they have stayed out of trouble so far."  
Just as he is about to dial Yolei's number, he freezes.  
"Should I really tell everybody about Kari's evil plan?"  
_No. Kari isn't evil. She... just needs help._  
"But what if Renamon lied when she said Kari asked for it?"  
_What if the fox is the master of puppets?_  
"Hm. But why? To mess up the love between Kari and T.K.?"  
He gasps when he sees the connection.  
_Of course! She wants T.K. for herself! And for this, she has to destroy their love!_  
He realizes that he almost helped Renamon put her master plan into action by 'warning' somebody.  
"Oh God, who is the evil seducer? Kari or Renamon? Or maybe both of them?"  
He decides to wait for Davis. The boy may not be the omniscient oracle, but he might help.  
  
Kari sighs when she sees Renamon getting ready to try it again.  
"Renamon." she whispers, putting on hand on her furred arm.  
"What is it, Kari?"  
"Please. I know you can't do it." Kari softly says and smiles.  
Renamon nods, looking defeated.  
"It's so nice of you that you made up this story so I'm not mad with T.K.."  
"I'm sorry. But you were looking so... sad."  
"Your effort has shown me what I needed to see."  
Renamon gives her a confused look.  
"I should talk to T.K. if I want to know him better." Kari wisely says.  
The fox smiles and gives her a thumb-up sign.  
"I'm glad that you realized this. It avoids many misunderstandings, you know?"  



	13. The final plan

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 13  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Davis Motomiya hasn't been a very religious man before.  
But right now he believes in Heaven. He smiles.  
Heaven is right here, sleeping in his arms, her auburn hair touching his hands.  
They have spent hours together. Touching, giggling, kissing.  
Of course they hadn't done... it. Ten-year-olds aren't just ready for... it.  
But they had enjoyed being together. Being closer than ever.  
Davis slowly leaves the bed, being careful not to wake Ruki.  
His love murmurs something, and Davis gently kisses her cheek.  
Then he sneaks out of her room and sighs.  
_I better get back to Veemon. Poor fellow must be missing me._  
As much as he loves Ruki, Davis has vowed not to make Veemon feel left-out.  
"Yeah... use your claws... my little wildcat..." he suddenly hears Renamon's voice.  
Davis gulps and turns his head. Then he sighs again.  
Renamon is fast asleep, lying curled up on the couch. No sign of Gatomon.  
_Interesting how much Tamer and Digimon can be alike..._ he thinks and snickers.  
With one hand, he idly scratches the red marks on his back.  
Then he sneaks out of the apartment.  
  
An hour later, Ruki Makino, now also known as Personified Heaven, wakes up.  
Everything seems to be spinning, but the girl smiles.  
_Mom's been right. It feels great loving, being loved..._  
She staggers out of the room, still smiling.  
Then her smile widens when she sees Renamon. Alone.  
_Poor foxy... All alone and unloved. Gotta fix._  
  
Renamon wakes up grinning.  
She loves being woken by a kiss. It's the best way to start a new day.  
Still grinning she opens her eyes. Then her grin freezes.  
Shrieking, she breaks the kiss.  
"But Renamon..." Ruki whispers and cocks her head.  
_AGH! Ruki kissed me!_  
Gasping, Renamon looks at her Tamer and blinks. Then she smiles.  
"Lemme guess: Davis left you in a great mood, right?"  
Ruki grins in return and hugs the fox.  
"He's soooooo caring." she sighs into the fox's ear.  
"By the way you're touching my back, he's much more than just that." Renamon remarks.  
Slowly coming to her senses, Ruki realizes that she is stroking Renamon's back.  
Images of her doing the same with Davis flash up in her mind and she gasps.  
"I must say... Davis is the second best thing to enter your life." Renamon whispers.  
"And what is the best-" Ruki starts to ask.  
Then she smiles and kisses Renamon's forehead.  
  
Davis enters his room and frowns.  
Everything is silent. No sign of Veemon.  
He switches the lights on. Then he gasps.  
"D-Davis? Is that you?" Veemon whispers, cowering in a corner.  
The DigiDestined is instantly at Veemon's side, putting an arm around his partner.  
"Veemon! What happened?" he asks.  
The blue dragon looks at him and sighs.  
"I... I have found out something..."  
  
"Oh, there you are!" Renamon mutters as she enters the kitchen.  
It's too late for a midnight snack and too early for breakfast.  
But she is hungry, and a hungry Digimon isn't any good, is it?  
Gatomon's presence, however, lets Renamon's hunger vanish instantly.  
"Hi..." Gatomon whispers, never looking up from the book she is reading.  
Renamon frowns and leans down to see the cover of the book.  
"You're reading... Physics?" she asks and looks at the reading cat.  
"Yep."  
"And... why?"  
Gatomon looks up and smiles.  
"To bring Veemon and Aquaveemon together of course!"  
"With... physics?"  
Gatomon only nods and continues to read.  
Still frowning, Renamon takes a look at the text.  
"How to calculate trajectories..." she reads the headline.  
Then she shrugs and walks to the fridge.  
  
"You're kidding, right?" Davis asks his partner.  
"She told me!" Veemon almost wails.  
The dragon had just finished telling Davis what he has heard and what he thinks.  
"But... Kari and Renamon? Oh come on!"  
"At least one of them is up to something! I tell you!"  
Davis shakes his head slowly.  
"You should be quite safe. But be careful! Kari might try to seduce you!"  
Now Davis laughs.  
"I'm serious, Davis! Watch out for anything unusual! Renamon and Kari are planning something!"  
Slowly, Davis manages to calm down again.  
"Okay, buddy. I promise I'll be careful." he finally vows.  
  
The next morning, everybody in the Kamiya household has calmed down again.  
Ruki is still smiling like a brain-dead zombie, but her hands to herself.  
Renamon has prepared some pancakes again, and everybody sits down to eat.  
After a while, Gatomon smiles at the fox.  
"Rena-chan?" she asks, her voice sweeter than ever.  
"Uhhh... Yeah?" Renamon asks, raising an eyebrow.  
Gatomon leans over to her love and starts stroking her fur.  
"Would you please join me today?"  
Renamon only grins.  
"Not for that!" Gatomon hisses instantly, making Renamon whine.  
"I have to buy some things for today and I need you to help me."  
Renamon smiles and nods her okay.  
Some minutes later, Ruki goes to the bathroom and Gatomon heads for Kari's room to get her list.  
Just then, the phone rings.  
  
"Buddy? Could you do me a favor?" Davis shouts out of the bathroom.  
"Sure thing!" Veemon shouts back happily.  
"Could you call Ruki for me?"  
Veemon snickers. Davis obviously wants to lose no time dialing after coming out of the bath.  
"Okay." Veemon shouts and dials the number.  
Kamiya household, Renamon speaking.  
Veemon clenches his fist and closes his eyes. Then he sighs.  
"Yeah, it's me, Veemon. Is Ruki there?"  
Uh sorry, she's in the bathroom right now.  
Veemon allows himself a smile.  
Probably still getting the fur out of her mouth... Renamon chuckles.  
"Errr, pardon me?" Veemon says and blinks.  
Oh, my fault. She kissed me yesterday. Right onto my lips. Renamon laughs.  
Veemon's heart skips a couple of beats.  
Hey, now I know why Davis likes her!  
Veemon slams the receiver down and curses loudly.  
"Uhm, buddy? What's wrong?" Davis asks, coming out of the bathroom.  
The Dragon of Friendship looks at his partner, tears flowing down his cheeks.  
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." he whispers, hugging Davis.  
"About what? What happened?" Davis asks, concern replacing curiosity.  
"They... They've got Ruki now..." Veemon cries.  
"RUKI? WHO?" Davis yells, his eyes widened by the shock.  
"R-Renamon and Kari... They... seduced her, too!"  
  
"Uhhhhh hello?" Renamon asks and looks at the phone.  
"Ruki kissed you?" Kari asks and giggles.  
"Yeah. I guess she was still in the mood after Davis left..." Renamon answers and smiles.  
Then the fox sighs.  
"It felt so nice... although I know she wasn't thinking of me."  
Just as Kari wants to answer something, Ruki comes out of the bathroom.  
"Hey, Veemon just called. Bet Davis wants you again." Renamon tells her.  
Ruki grins and nods.  
"Ready to go, Renamon?" Gatomon asks as she comes out of Kari's room with a list.  
"Sure." the fox answers and opens a window.  
  
Minutes later, Ruki tries phoning the Motomiya's for the third time.  
But the line is still dead.  
"Hm. I wonder-" she mutters.  
Her thoughts are interrupted by the doorbell.  
Shrugging, Ruki opens the door and blinks.  
First she sees nobody. Then she looks down.  
The first thing she sees is Davis' hand, slowly sliding off the doorbell.  
Everything else of him is lying on the floor in a coughing heap.  
"Davis! I just tried to phone you!" Ruki shouts, kneeling next to her love.  
The Tamer can see that Davis is sweating. And panting. And crying.  
She frowns and carefully helps him into a sitting position.  
"What happened?" she whispers.  
"Ru...ki..." Davis whispers, barely finding the breath to do so.  
She leans over to him to hear him better.  
"I... love... you... than... they... do..."  
Ruki blinks.  
"Come again please?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.  
"Ruki, what is- My God... DAVIS?" Kari shouts, coming to the door.  
Davis stares at the young Kamiya girl as if she represents everything he hates.  
"YOU WON'T GET HER!" he shouts, startling both girls.  
That must have cost him his last strength because Davis collapses right into Ruki's arms.  
  
"Okay, what are you up to this time?" Renamon finally asks.  
Gatomon looks at the fox, who is carrying two large buckets of paint.  
They have walked halfway across town now, and Renamon doesn't seem happy.  
"Spreading love, of course!" the cat replies merrily.  
Renamon stops dead in her tracks and looks at the buckets.  
Then she looks at Gatomon again.  
"Okay, I'm curious now." she finally mutters.  
"I'll tell you when we're there."  
"And where is 'there'?"  
"Up there!" Gatomon shouts, pointing at a rooftop.  
"I can almost smell a bad plan." Renamon whispers and shakes her head.  
"Ohhhhhh... It's perfect! Trust me!"  
  
AquaVeemon groans.  
Her feet weren't made for long walks over concrete.  
Yet she has walked all the way from home to reach her destination.  
Gatomon had told her to come over to the park.  
_A park with a pond..._ AquaVeemon tells herself and smiles.  
She is near Veemon's home now. For a moment she toys with the idea of visiting him.  
Gatomon said Veemon is usually the last to come, although he lives very close to the pond.  
_Close to the PARK!_ she corrects herself.  
But she can't help it. Water is her natural element.  
Still, she decides to head straight for the pond.  
_Park! Geez, I gotta stop thinking about water all the time!_  
  
"See? Just as planned!" Gatomon whispers.  
Renamon looks down. Five floors below them, Aquaveemon is walking down the street.  
"So? We're up here, she's down there. We've got some paint, and-"  
The fox stops in mid-sentence. Gatomon gives her a smile.  
"Oh no. You wouldn't!" Renamon quickly whispers.  
"It's perfect! We cover her with this, and she'll run straight to Veemon!"  
"She wouldn't look too romantic, being covered with white paint."  
"True, but she might need somebody to rub all the paint off her body..."  
The golden-furred Digimon almost drops dead.  
"You must be desperate." she finally mutters, handing Gatomon a bucket.  
"I am. That's why I bought two buckets, just in case."  
The cat opens the first bucket and places it at the edge of the roof.  
Suddenly, she gives it a final push, sending it flying down.  
She smiles from one ear to the other.  
Her smile vanishes when she hears Renamon's next words.  
"Oh oh..."  



	14. Chaos ends, chaos starts...

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 14  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
Gatomon frowns. She has never seen her vulpine beloved in such a condition.  
Renamon looks as if she is trying to do a dozen things at once.  
"G-Gato! Paint! Hurry! Probl-" the fox hisses, running back and forth gesturing wildly.  
The sound of a lot of paint hitting the pavement makes Renamon stop in mid-sentence.  
A moment later, a loud, female shriek can be heard.  
"Oh boy." Renamon mutters.  
  
"Davis... wake up please. Davis?" Ruki asks, stroking his head.  
"What did he mean with 'You won't get her'?" Kari asks, sitting on a chair nearby.  
Ruki shrugs and looks up at Kari. Davis is taking up most of the couch, so Ruki kneels next to it.  
"I don't know. Have you done anything to him?" the Tamer asks, giving Kari a frown.  
"As far as I know: No. Why should I? He's my friend and your love!"  
Both girls look at Davis when they hear him groan.  
"Ru...ki..." he whispers, and Ruki hugs him in return.  
"I... love... you..." Davis continues, making the girl smile.  
However, before she can answer him, Davis sees Kari and growls.  
"Give it up! You'll never get her!" he instantly barks, making Ruki jump.  
Kari only cocks her head, unsure how to react. She opens her mouth to answer, but Davis is faster.  
"Just tell me who is behind all this! You or Renamon?" he hisses.  
Ruki raises an eyebrow and gives Kari a questioning look.  
The DigiDestined of Light scratches her head, trying to figure out what Davis is talking about.  
"You can stop acting so innocent! Veemon has told me about your relationship!"  
Renamon's Tamer gasps when she hears this. She whirls around, looking at Kari with wide eyes.  
"Me? Renamon? RELATIONSHIP???" Kari asks, raising her voice slightly.  
Seeing her love and her host getting ready to kill each other, Ruki does the only thing she can think of.  
"Renamon! NOW!" she barks.  
  
Aquaveemon runs. She has no clue where she is or where she is heading.  
She only wants to get as far away as possible after this... incident.  
_Oh God! I'm... I'm... WHITE!_ she thinks, looking at her arm again.  
All Veemons have blue skin. There is no exception to this rule.  
At least there hadn't been an exception five minutes ago.  
_I've become a freak! A freak of nature!_ she thinks and sobs.  
Finally she can't push herself any more. She leans against a wall, trying to think of a solution.  
_Okay okay. Calm down. It was just paint. Nothing more._ she tells herself.  
"Just need some water... Yeah... A quick bath and I'm ready to go!" she whispers.  
Since she doesn't want the others to see her like this, she decides to go to Veemon.  
"He's the only one who might understand my trouble here..." she mutters and starts to run again.  
  
"Gatomon listen, we have a big big problem here!" Renamon whispers.  
_And it's too late! It's already too late!_ she silently adds.  
"What is it? You look as if the Earth might explode any second!" Gatomon snaps.  
Renamon nods and catches her breath.  
"Okay. Here's the prob-"  
_"Renamon! NOW!"_  
"-lem... Ruki?" she finishes her question, startled to hear Ruki's voice at this time.  
"Ruki is our problem?" Gatomon asks and raises an eyebrow.  
"N-No... Sorry, I'll be right back." Renamon whispers and vanishes.  
  
"Yolei?" Hawkmon asks from his position on the bedpost.  
The DigiDestined of Love turns away from the computer and faces him.  
"How can I help you, Hawkmon?" she asks and smiles.  
"I want to know how to commit the perfect crime." Hawkmon whispers.  
When he hears Yolei gasp, he quickly laughs, trying to hide his real intentions.  
"Just a hypothetical thought!" Hawkmon assures her.  
Yolei raises an eyebrow, but doesn't ask any questions. After some seconds of thinking, she shrugs.  
"I'd say there is no such thing as the perfect crime." the girl tells him.  
"I see... Thanks, Yolei."  
  
"What is it, Ruki?" Renamon asks, fading into the material world next to her Tamer.  
It takes her a moment to realize where she is and who is with her.  
_Davis and Kari look... angry..._ she notices and frowns.  
Just then Davis turns around to face Renamon. The boy gives her an annoyed look.  
"Ah, the second traitor." he mutters.  
_TRAITOR? Wait... SECOND traitor?_ Renamon thinks, clenching her fists involuntarily.  
"Davis, what're you talking about?" Ruki hisses.  
"Don't worry, my love. They won't get you." Davis whispers.  
Renamon blinks, but she has the feeling that she is not the only one who has missed the briefing.  
"Okay, you have A LOT to explain, Davis!" Kari suddenly snaps.  
Davis gives her a look and smirks. Renamon knows this look all too well.  
_He looks just like the one time I asked him if I could in..._  
She frowns. Davis had been mean back then. Maybe even hostile. And now he's just as hostile.  
"Veemon told me about you being seduced by Renamon." he tells the Kari.  
There is a long pause. Then it happens. Kari... laughs.  
  
"It looks all right from here. What did she mean?" Gatomon asks herself.  
The cat follows the white Aquaveemon without being noticed.  
But she can't fight the feeling that something is wrong.  
_Renamon looked worried. But what did she notice?_ she thinks and frowns.  
So far, everything has worked according to her plan. Still, the fox's comment has hit a nerve.  
_What if I messed up again somehow?_ she muses.  
Finally she shrugs and decides to worry about it later. Right now, Aquaveemon enters Veemon's home.  
With a smirk Gatomon sees her entering the apartment. Veemon's voice sounds worried, but soothing.  
_Perfect. Now I only have to wait for them to fall in love!_  
  
Hawkmon smiles while he is reading the text on Yolei's computer screen.  
"Helloooo Internet..." he whispers, trying to use the mouse with his wing.  
He has used the past day to re-evaluate his current situation.  
_Okay. Veemon may be a moron, but Gatomon could be successful by accident._  
Reading the various texts has found on the Internet, he becomes confident again.  
_So I just have to make sure that Gatomon stops her work._ he concludes once again.  
He smiles as he browses pages dealing with poisons and other clean killing methods.  
_Good thing I don't have to deal with a corpse. It would-_ he thinks, then freezes.  
Slowly he turns his head and sees the tiny angelic Hawkmon next to him.  
_"Do I even have to say anything?"_ the tiny Hawkmon asks and cocks his head.  
_My God... I really considered killing Gatomon..._ Hawkmon realizes.  
His wing trembles and Hawkmon quickly closes the browser windows.  
_"Yes. You wanted to kill your friend, your DNA Digivolution partner."_  
Hawkmon jumps off Yolei's chair and starts pacing nervously. Then he sees the evil Hawkmon on the bed.  
_"He's right. Don't kill Gatomon!"_ the evil Hawk tells him.  
Hawkmon cocks his head. It always confuses him when his inner voices agree on something.  
_"Gatomon's not your problem. Kill Veemon instead!"_ the evil Hawk continues.  
  
"This is hilarious!" Kari snickers.  
Ruki is worried by now; Kari has been laughing and snickering for five minutes now.  
"You actually thought I really seduced Kari?" Renamon finally asks Davis.  
"Errr... Yeah... You told Veemon so..." Davis replies, looking confused.  
"Oh... Right." Renamon admits, making Ruki frown.  
"And then you said you and Ruki had kissed each other!" Davis adds.  
"I said that she kissed me!" Renamon quickly corrects him.  
"Seducing... me..." Kari snickers, but nobody pays her any attention.  
"I actually did, Davis. It was right after you left..." Ruki admits and blushes.  
Davis finally seems to understand that he has jumped to wrong conclusions.  
"So... Kari doesn't want to make us unhappy and Renamon doesn't want T.K. all for herself?"  
Kari stops snickering.  
"You really thought that I want T.K. for myself? How sick!" Renamon comments.  
"Weird thought, I know. Who'd actually want T.K.-" Davis begins.  
When he hears Kari gasp, he snickers and hugs her.  
"Just kidding!" he laughs, making Ruki and Renamon sigh in relief.  
"Oh no! Gatomon!" Renamon suddenly whispers and disappears.  
  
It has taken Gatomon some patience to pick the Motomiya's front door lock.  
But now she is sneaking through the apartment, listening to the sound of running water.  
_Just a quick peak to make sure my plan works, then I can take care of my poor claw._  
She idly rubs over the claw she has used to pick the lock. But she decides that it has been worth it.  
With a wide grin, she approaches the bathroom door.  
_Oh boy... This'll be so great! My plans final-_  
Her thoughts are interrupted by a paw holding her mouth shut.  
"It's me!" she hears Renamon hiss as she is being pulled away from the bathroom.  
_Now what?_ Gatomon thinks while Renamon is dragging her out of the house.  
When the fox is sure that they are out of hearing range, she releases the cat.  
"What're you doing? I just wanted to-" Gatomon starts, but Renamon's angry stare stops her.  
"The paint is WATERPROOF!" the vulpine Digimon finally yells.  
  
"Weird..." Veemon mutters, giving Aquaveemon a confused look.  
"Why doesn't it come off?" the poor female wails.  
_Must be paint for outdoor use..._ Veemon muses, then frowns.  
"Okay, there is a way to get rid of the paint. But it won't be that great..." he tells her.  
"Just DO IT! PLEASE!" Aquaveemon cries.  
"Wait here..." he whispers as he leaves the room to get Davis' paint remover.  
  
"Hawkmon? Everything all right?" Yolei shouts from the couch in the living-room.  
"Yeah... I'm... fine..." Hawkmon shouts back, looking at the bed.  
Slowly he pulls the feather out of the mattress. The hole is small; Yolei should not notice it.  
He couldn't stand the evil Hawkmon's voice any longer. A second later, he might have agreed.  
The Feather Strike of course hasn't killed him. But it has made him vanish.  
_My God... I really wanted to kill them..._  
He paces again, trying to think of a way to win Aquaveemon without killing anybody.  
"Gatomon has to stop helping Veemon... But how?" he whispers.  
_She's just too helpful. Darn... things would be different if Veemon made one of his-_  
Hawkmon stops pacing. He has just found the solution to all of his problems.  
_It's so simple..._ he realizes and grins.  
"It'll be the perfect crime... indeed..." he sneers and starts planning.  
  
"This can't be true!" Gatomon wails.  
Renamon only shrugs. The couple is wandering through the streets, unsure what to do.  
"Why didn't you tell me earlier that the paint is waterproof?" Gatomon suddenly asks.  
"You didn't tell me about your plan until it was too late!"  
The cat frowns and sighs. She knows she can't undo her actions.  
_The plan would have worked perfectly! It's just not fair!_  
  
Hawkmon is whistling happily as he looks at his list of items he has to... acquire.  
"Shouldn't be too hard." he concludes and nods.  
_"You're aware that Veemon might still die?"_  
Hawkmon gives the angelic Hawkmon a look. The tiny hawk is sitting on the bed, shaking his head.  
_So what? It's not my fault. He'll get what he really deserves._  
_"But you know that your actions will cause much harm!"_  
Hawkmon laughs when he hears this.  
_Oh no... VEEMON's actions have caused much harm!_ he corrects the blue hawk.  
The angelic Hawkmon only sighs and disappears.  
And the real Hawkmon begins to work out the details of his master plan.  
  
"Ohhhh God..." Aquaveemon weakly groans.  
"Don't worry, Aqua... You'll be okay..." Veemon whispers.  
He is showering the female Digimon, who is lying in the bathtub like a corpse.  
"I feel... weak..." the young Rookie mumbles, and Veemon sighs.  
"I know. Paint remover hasn't been designed for full body usage."  
Aquaveemon groans, but she already sounds stronger, as if her body draws strength from the water.  
"Veemon..." she whispers, and Veemon leans over the tub to be closer to her.  
"...thank you." Aquaveemon finishes her sentence with a hinted smile.  
Veemon smiles back and gently strokes her chin.  
"Just rest, Aqua. You'll recover soon enough." he tells her.  
_Just a friend. Just a friend._ he quickly tells himself, but somehow... it sounds faked this time.  



	15. Over the edge

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 15  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"Hi, Isis. Veemon speaking." he sighs into the receiver.  
Hey Veemon! How are you? the girl instantly cheers.  
"Well... Aquaveemon's here... there has been an accident..."  
A WHAT?  
"Nonono! Nothing fatal! She has been covered with paint!" Veemon quickly corrects.  
When he hears the young DigiDestined sigh, he continues.  
"But we had to use a lot of paint remover here, and now she's unconscious."  
Oh, I see... Well, Mom's not here... So I'm kinda stuck.  
"No problem. I'll bring her to you. Just wanted to make sure you'll be there."  
I will be. Thanks, Veemon.  
"Hey, no problem. See you then!"  
  
From his position on the rooftop of another house, Hawkmon sees Veemon leave and smiles.  
Although it hurts to see Aquaveemon in Veemon's arms, Hawkmon knows that it won't last.  
"Well then. Let Phase One begin." he mutters and jumps off the rooftop.  
He glides to Davis' window and opens it with one of his feathers.  
Davis is at the Kamiya's, Veemon just left. Hawkmon sighs and jumps into Davis' room.  
"Okay... Now to find all the stuff..." he mutters and goes to work.  
  
"Uhhhhhhhh..."  
"Finally..." a female voice whispers.  
"Yeah. I started to worry about her health, too." a male voice adds.  
Aquaveemon groans and opens her eyes. She looks up and sees Isis and Veemon.  
Then she notices that she is lying in the filled bathtub.  
"Ohhh... This feels good..." she whispers and moves a bit in the tub.  
The young Digimon frowns when Isis suddenly hugs her.  
"Isis? Everything all right?" she asks, giving Veemon a questioning glance.  
"We've been worried. You've been unconscious for some hours." Veemon explains.  
_Hours? Must've been the paint remover... has been like poison for me..._  
Aquaveemon can feel that Isis is crying and gulps. She hugs her partner back and tries to smile.  
"Hey... I'm okay... Veemon has been a great help..." she whispers.  
"Pah. No problem. But I must go now... Davis might miss me." Veemon answers and shrugs.  
"But... we're at your place..." Aquaveemon starts, but Veemon shakes his head.  
"I brought you here some hours ago so that Isis can be there for you."  
"Thanks, no wonder everybody likes you so much..."  
_Oh Veemon... Why can't I just tell you that I love you?_ Aquaveemon thinks and sighs.  
  
Hawkmon nods. It had taken some time to set this up, but he loves perfection.  
_Besides, I risk dying in a horrible way if I forget one detail..._ he reminds himself.  
He quickly checks his equipment to make sure he didn't forget anything.  
There is no real need to do so. During the last hour, he checked the equipment a hundred times.  
_But it's better to check it often than to risk an ugly death._  
"Blowgun? Intact and... cleaned." he mumbles after inspecting the slim weapon.  
"Tranquilizer Darts?" he asks himself and looks at the box filled with small darts.  
"Check. Oh... and the key element of this plan..." he whispers and smiles.  
He holds up the small electric device and briefly switches it on.  
"Oh... yeah..."  
  
"I missed you!" Ruki shouts as soon as the Motomiya front door is being opened.  
"Well, thanks. But you know I like boys more."  
Ruki blinks. When she sees who has opened the door, she blushes and coughs.  
"Errrrr... hi Jun..." the Tamer stammers.  
Davis' sister smirks and pats Ruki's shoulder.  
"He's in his room. Most likely daydreaming of you..." the Motomiya girl tells her.  
_Let's hope so..._ Ruki thinks and nods, not telling Jun of her fear of losing Davis.  
_Either she wouldn't understand me, or she would laugh at me._ she guesses.  
So she simply walks to Davis' room and opens the door.  
"Ruki! You're here!" Davis instantly cheers and hugs her.  
Ruki smiles and eagerly returns the hug. Then she frowns.  
"Did you forget to shave yourself again?" she asks politely.  
  
"You know, Renamon... things aren't really that bad." Gatomon shouts.  
The feline Digimon grabs the plate with their snacks and smiles.  
"I mean... Ruki's at Davis' place... Kari is dating T.K...." she purrs.  
Gatomon walks into the living room, looking forward to a lovely evening.  
"So only you and me are left... And we have the entire apart-"  
She stops dead in her tracks when she sees Renamon lying on the floor near the open window.  
"Is that your way of saying that you're not in the mood?"  
The cat blinks. When Renamon doesn't show any kind of reaction, she curses.  
Her plate with food hits the floor as Gatomon is dashing to her beloved.  
"Renamon! Speak to me! What hap-"  
She stops and winces when she feels a sharp pain in her leg.  
When she looks down, she sees that a small dart has hit her.  
_Tranq... dart..._ she thinks when the world starts spinning.  
Another dart hits her, but Gatomon doesn't even have the strength to wince anymore.  
  
Hawkmon sighs. The tranq dart should have been enough for a big elephant.  
Still Gatomon had been standing for a good while. But the second dart finished her.  
_"It's not too late yet."_ a familiar voice mutters.  
Hawkmon gives his angelic self a stare and shakes his head. The little hawk looks sad.  
_"He's right! Now's your chance to really finish her off!"_  
He doesn't even turn around to face the evil hawk standing behind him.  
"No. I'll proceed as planned. No killing, but also no retreat." he whispers.  
He carefully places Davis' blowgun on the ground and picks up the shaver.  
Yolei's partner swiftly sails over to the open window and into the apartment.  
Five minutes later, he admires his work and nods. No bad surprises this time.  
He is about to go when a new idea makes him grin.  
Carefully he removes Gatomon's Holy Ring.  
  
The first thing Renamon notices is that the world is shaking.  
She blinks and realizes that the world itself is standing still, but somebody shakes her.  
"DAMMIT WAKE UP ALREADY!" Gatomon yells, tightening her grip.  
Renamon yelps when she realizes that her beloved is holding her up by her precious chest fur.  
"COME ON!" the cat Digimon yells, sounding extremely furious.  
"Lemme go, you're hurt-" Renamon shouts, looking at Gatomon for the first time today.  
"Oh my God..." she whispers when she sees the reason for Gatomon's anger.  
"STOP STARING AT ME LIKE THAT!" Gatomon yells, tears flowing down her face.  
The cat has been shaven. Renamon is reminded of modern art when she sees her beloved like this.  
Random strips of fur are missing, making Gatomon look like a walking roadmap of an insane town.  
Before Gatomon can yell anything else, Renamon hugs her and also starts to cry.  
And while watching the sunrise, she silently vows that somebody would pay for this.  
  
Veemon enjoys having the bed all for himself. He stretches and yawns.  
Davis left him a note saying that he'd spend the night outside with Ruki.  
Whatever that meant. Veemon doesn't really care. All he knows that he slept well.  
Now he watches the morning sky, thinking of Aquaveemon. Somehow he can't get her out of his head.  
"What if I really love her? I wonder if I should tell her..." he whispers.  
_But then things go wrong again. I just know it. But... is it better this way?_  
He knows how much one-sided love can hurt. And he doesn't want to get hurt again.  
Veemon sighs and wraps his arms around himself, as if hugging a non-existent beloved.  
"Courage and Friendship... only friendship... and no love..." he mumbles.  
He looks up to make sure that he really is alone.  
When he sees that the door is closed he allows himself to cry.  
  
Renamon finally stops snarling and stretches her blood-covered arms.  
With a disgusted grunt she turns away from Veemon's mutilated corpse.  
Gatomon slowly nods and continues to polish her Holy Ring.  
_They killed him. Just like that..._ Hawkmon thinks, watching the scene with morbid fascination.  
Finally he looks away, knowing that he has doomed his best friend himself.  
When he looks up again, he sees... her. Aquaveemon is on her knees, crying like a little girl.  
Hawkmon approaches the young Digimon to hug her. He'd be there for her no matter what-  
"Murderer!"  
He stops and blinks. Aquaveemon looks up at him, and he can see anger and hatred in her eyes.  
"Murderer!" she shouts again.  
"B-But Aqua... I did it for us... so we can be together..." he whispers.  
"Do you think I could ever love somebody who betrayed his best friend?"  
Aquaveemon slowly walks to him, and Hawkmon finds himself retreating.  
"I don't love you, Hawkmon... I don't love... a murderer!"  
  
"Murderer... murderer... am no murderer... sorry..."  
Yolei Inoue shakes her head. Hawkmon is lying next to her, still mumbling in his sleep.  
First she thought that he's just having a nightmare. But he didn't wake up.  
She finally shakes her partner, trying to wake him up.  
"Hawkmon! Hawkmon! Wake up! Come on!" she shouts.  
The bird's eyes suddenly fly open and Yolei is pushed away by his sudden wing movements.  
"No! NO! Please believe me!" he cries, stumbling out of the bed.  
"Hawkmon... it has been a nightmare..." Yolei whispers, avoiding sudden movements.  
Her partner crawls into a corner of the room. Yolei can hear him weep softly and sighs.  
She carefully approaches him and kneels next to the shivering pile of feathers.  
"It has just been a dream, Hawkmon..." she whispers again.  
"Oh Yolei... Yolei..." he cries, hugging her desperately.  
Yolei gently strokes his back, trying to ignore the fact that his talons are scratching her legs.  
"Yolei... it hasn't been a dream... it has been a vision..." he suddenly whispers.  
  
"Oh Veemon..."  
Isis chuckles quietly. She isn't too surprised to hear this.  
Aquaveemon hugs Isis' arm and gently nuzzles it in her sleep.  
"I love you, Veemon..." the young Rookie sighs.  
_And I bet he loves you, too. I've seen it in his eyes. The way he watches over you..._  
"Veemon... I..." Aquaveemon yawns, slowly opening her eyes.  
The Digimon yelps in surprise when she realizes who she is hugging.  
"ISIS! Th-This isn't wh-what you-" Aquaveemon stammers, letting the arm go.  
Isis smiles and hugs her partner. After a short moment, Aquaveemon relaxes and returns the hug.  
"You love him, right?" Isis asks, although she knows the answer.  
"That's the problem... yes..." Aquaveemon sighs and frowns.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Come on... He's totally famous and I... I'm nobody..."  
The girl sighs and strokes her partner's back.  
"I think he likes you, too. Maybe he even loves you..." she whispers.  
Aquaveemon looks up and blinks. Then she cocks her head.  
"Trust me... I've seen the looks he is giving you..." Isis whispers and smiles.  
  
Gatomon looks at the shaver lying on the floor. She recognizes it instantly.  
_Veemon! That dirty lizard! WHY? I tried to HELP that moron!_  
"He'll pay." Renamon whispers.  
She looks at her vulpine beloved and nods. No matter why he did it, he would suffer for it.  
"This time he will die." Renamon suddenly adds, still staring at the shaver.  
"He will suffer." Gatomon whispers, trying to suggest a less drastic solution.  
"Veemon will die." Renamon insists and snarls at the shaver.  
"Renamon, I-"  
"I'll crush his windpipe. It'll be over in a flash..." Renamon hisses.  
"Renamon-"  
"Or I could make it a slow and painful death..."  
"RENAMON!" Gatomon shouts, clawing the fox's leg.  
The golden-furred Digimon yelps and holds her leg, looking at Gatomon like a scolded dog.  
"Leave Veemon to me. I'll deal with him. My way." Gatomon tells her.  
"B-But... without your Holy Ring..." Renamon stammers.  
"I'm still a Champion Digimon." Gatomon reminds her and Renamon finally nods.  
  
"Isis?" Aquaveemon timidly asks.  
The girl looks up from her breakfast and smiles when she sees her Digimon blush.  
"I guess I know what's on your mind..." she answers and smiles.  
"Heh... yeah... Of course... And I've made decision."  
Isis cocks her head when she hears this. Aquaveemon sounds eerily determined.  
"What kind of decision?" she finally asks.  
"I'll tell Veemon that I love him." Aquaveemon whispers.  
The DigiDestined smiles and nods. She is proud of her friend's inner strength.  
"I'm so happy for you... I think moving to Tokyo has been a good choice."  
Aquaveemon nods merrily and rushes to the door, eager to visit her love.  



	16. Center of attention

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 16  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"Hawkmon! Wait! You're in no condition to-" Yolei shouts, but Hawkmon shakes his head.  
"I've got to go! This is a matter of life and death!" he squawks angrily.  
_God, I've been so blind! Veemon has never been my enemy!_  
Hawkmon jumps out through a window, ignoring Yolei's cries.  
_I've been so busy sabotaging Gatomon's plans that I forgot the main goal..._  
He sighs when he feels the cool morning air. His one big chance, and he messed up.  
The hawk knows that he is most likely too late to win Aquaveemon's love.  
_But I can still save Veemon! I won't let them kill my one true friend!_  
  
_I love him. I love him. Oh boy..._  
Aquaveemon gulps. Until now, she has avoided confrontations. Just like Isis.  
_And now I'll actually tell the greatest hero of the both worlds that I love him._  
She shakes her head and sighs. But something tells her that she is doing the right thing.  
"Maybe he loves me, too!" she whispers, as if trying to convince herself.  
  
_"Oh boy... How pathetic..."_ somebody mutters and chuckles.  
"Huh?" Veemon manages to say as he quickly wipes away his tears.  
_How could anybody sneak into the room?_ he asks himself and looks up.  
When he sees the Digimon leaning against a wall, he gasps.  
"YOU?"  
  
"Please let me-"  
"No."  
"But I just-"  
"No."  
"Oh come on! I just-"  
"RENAMON!" Gatomon hisses, finally making the vulpine Digimon stop.  
"Listen, Renamon. We're not even 100% sure that Veemon is guilty." she continues.  
"The shaver, the blowgun darts..." Renamon mutters, leaning against the Motomiya door.  
"Just objects. I'll handle it. Trust me."  
Renamon frowns, but nods and vanishes. Gatomon only sighs and shakes her head.  
_Okay, stay calm. No hastened revenge actions for the shaving stunt until I know it for sure._  
  
"What are you... HOW can you..." Veemon stammers, standing up on the bed.  
_"Kinda obvious, isn't it?"_  
Veemon looks at the smirking Digimon. He still can't believe his eyes. But there he is.  
_Flamedramon... Minus the entire armor._ he thinks, looking at his own Armor form.  
He admits that an unarmored Flamedramon looks like a young adult version of a Veemon.  
_A cute and handsome adult-looking Veemon._ he adds and chuckles silently.  
He guesses that a human looking like this would be around twenty to twenty-five.  
_"Okay, you figured out by now that I'm cute. Congratulations..."_ the Flamedramon mutters.  
Veemon blinks in surprise. Then he realizes that this is just another one of his inner voices.  
"What do you want?" he finally asks.  
_"You know it, but your consciousness doesn't realize it yet."_ Flamedramon whispers.  
"Terrific." Veemon mutters.  
  
"Finally!" Aquaveemon groans when she sees the house Veemon lives in.  
_Why can't there be a nice river leading from my place to his place?_  
She shakes her head and chuckles. The thought alone is pretty ridiculous.  
_As ridiculous as the thought of him loving me?_ she suddenly thinks and frowns.  
Her pace slows down considerably as she questions her idea once again.  
"No. I will do it!" she whispers and clenches her fist.  
"No more guessing and doubting!" she hisses and marches towards the house.  
  
_"Okay kid, I've got two important things to tell you."_ Flamedramon announces.  
Veemon looks up at his digivolved self and nods, eager to hear his inner voice's advice.  
_"First of all, tell Aquaveemon about your feelings!"_  
Veemon blinks nervously, making Flamedramon groan. His inner voice gives him a serious look.  
_"I mean it! The boys and I are pretty annoyed at how you try to fool yourself!"_  
Veemon opens his mouth to answer before realizing that he'd be arguing with himself.  
Slowly he closes his mouth again, and Flamedramon smiles.  
_"Good boy! Next on my list is Gatomon's Holy Ring."_ the Armor Digimon mutters.  
"Pardon me? I don't see the connection between the Ring and my life!"  
Flamedramon shrugs and points at Davis' desk. Veemon's heart skips some beats when he sees it.  
_G-Gatomon's Holy Ring! On Davis' desk!_ he thinks and gulps.  
_"It's been there when you woke up. We saw it, but you had been busy crying..."_  
Veemon ignores the sarcastic remark and picks up Gatomon's tailring.  
"What does it do here?" he whispers, giving the Ring a closer look.  
_"Beats me, but I doubt that she just lost it here..."_ Flamedramon mutters.  
Just when Veemon wants to answer, he hears the ring of the doorbell.  
"I'll be right back..." he mumbles, ignoring his inner voice's groans.  
_"Not with the Ring, you moron!"_ Flamedramon shouts, but Veemon is already walking to the door.  
  
"Hey Veemon! Guess what? I love you!"  
Aquaveemon shakes her head and sighs. That sounded way too direct and hastened.  
She doesn't want to give him the impression that this is just a silly joke.  
"Veemon. I love you more than anybody else in the world!"  
_No. Too cliché._ she decides, ignoring the looks she receives from the people around her.  
Sighing deeply, she enters the apartment building.  
"Jeez... what am I gonna say?" she whispers and calls the lift.  
  
Gatomon looks down at the shaver while she waits for somebody to open the door.  
Her precious fur is still stuck in it, reminding her of her current look.  
_If there is just one clue that it has been Veemon, I'll break his bones!_  
"Coming!" she hears Veemon shout and looks up.  
_Okay, stay cool. Maybe he's innocent after all!_  
Finally Veemon opens the door. Gatomon looks at him-  
-and notices her Holy Ring in his hand.  
  
_What the-_ Veemon thinks when he sees Gatomon.  
The cat has been shaven... more or less. Strips of fur are missing all over her body.  
Even before he can realize how hilarious she looks, he notices... it.  
_That's Davis' shaver!_ he realizes and blinks.  
_Davis' shaver. Gatomon has been shaved. I have her Holy Ring. Gatomon looks furious._  
"Errr, Gatomo-"  
  
"LIGHTNING PAW!" Gatomon barks, her paw hitting Veemon's jaw.  
Gatomon watches Veemon stumble back and growls. Then she walks into the apartment.  
_My Ring! My Holy Ring!_ she thinks and clenches her fist.  
"Gatomon! Wait!" Veemon shouts, raising his arms.  
Then he gulps and hides the hand holding the Ring behind his back.  
"Veemon... you've gone too far this time!" Gatomon hisses angrily.  
"What? You actually think that I-" Veemon gasps.  
The question is interrupted by his surprised yelp as he dodges the flying shaver.  
"Davis' shaver! The blowgun darts! AND YOU HAVE MY RING!" Gatomon screams.  
  
_Why? Why me? Why does everything have to go wrong in my life?_  
_"I told you not to take the Ring with you..."_ Flamedramon hisses.  
Veemon gives his digivolved self a stare of death.  
"SHUT UP!" he yells, throwing Gatomon's tailring at the Flamedramon.  
Of course it only hits the wall, but at least his counterpart vanishes.  
_Everybody else is happy! Why does everything I do end like this?_  
"WHY?" he screams, making Gatomon blink.  
"DON'T I DESERVE ONE HAPPY MOMENT IN MY LIFE?" he yells and marches over to the cat.  
_Everybody just uses me! I'm sick of it! This time, I won't be their punching bag!_  
"NO MORE!"  
  
"Veemon, when I first saw you, I fell in love with you... NAH."  
Aquaveemon sighs in frustration. The elevator has almost reached Veemon's floor.  
_And I still have no clue what to say!_  
"I'll mess up! I'll mess up!" she whispers and shakes her head.  
She briefly considers stopping the lift, but that would be the way of a coward.  
_I've come all this way, so I will finish it!_ she thinks and waits.  
_No matter how much I'll mess up, I'll tell Veemon I love him!_  
  
"ALL OF YOU-"  
Gatomon gulps and slowly circles Veemon, who seems to be having a nervous breakdown.  
The dragon Digimon pauses to catch his breath. His raised fist is trembling.  
"ALL OF YOU JUST USE ME!" he cries, making a step forward.  
Gatomon makes a careful step backward to avoid the angry Rookie.  
_Jeez, what happened to him? I'm supposed to do the shouting!_  
"Listen, Veemon! This is all your fault! If you hadn't-" she starts to snap.  
"MY FAULT? IS IT MY FAULT THAT I'M ALIVE? MY LIFE IS ONLY HELL AND MISERY!"  
Gatomon is about to reply, but she stops when she feels... it.  
The air seems to be charging with electricity. Gatomon gulps.  
Months ago, she would have called this feeling 'tension' or 'battle spirit'.  
But today, the cat knows that there is a more mundane force causing this feeling.  
_No... Renamon... don't!_  
  
Veemon looks at Gatomon and growls. He knows that somehow it's all her fault.  
"God... How could I ever love you?" he whispers and walks over to her.  
The cat is now standing in front of the door to Davis' room.  
"This will end here and now... You won't haunt me anymore..." he hisses.  
Gatomon frowns. She looks surprised, maybe even scared by his behaviour.  
_Good. Then maybe she knows what it is like being the victim for once!_  
He hears somebody cough politely right next to him. But he doesn't even turn around.  
_"Hey, kid! I know what you're up to, and lemme tell you one thing: DON'T!"_  
_Oh yes I WILL! Gatomon has dictated my behaviour long enough!_  
And with this thought, Veemon charges and rams his fist into Gatomon's stomach.  
  
"Veemon, this may sound silly, but I love you."  
_No, no and NO! This just won't do!_ Aquaveemon scolds herself.  
She walks down the corridor and sighs. She is sure by now that this is a bad idea.  
_I'll mess up. And then all the taunting will start again..._  
That thought makes her freeze. Would they taunt her because of her feelings?  
_No, they wouldn't. At least... I hope they won't..._  
"They're friendly, after all. They wouldn't hurt their friends."  
  
When he sees Gatomon stumble into Davis' room, he knows that he is finally free.  
The cat finally trips over her own feet, giving him a shocked and humiliated look.  
He allows himself a brief smile. Finally he has his revenge!  
_"Three..."_ he suddenly hears his inner voice count.  
_What are-_  
_"...two..."_ the voice calmly continues.  
_-you talking-_  
_"...one..."_  
_-abou-_  
Even before he can fish that thought, the world around him explodes.  
  
"I can still make it in time!" Hawkmon gasps.  
He has broken his own speed record on the way, but he doesn't care about it right now.  
_If I can't prevent a catastrophe, I risk losing my only bud-_  
He freezes in mid-air when he hears something that sounds like an explosion.  
_Or like one of those freaking jets breaking the sound barrier..._ he muses.  
Then he realizes that the sound came from Veemon's house.  
"Oh God NO!" he gasps, guessing what has caused the sound.  
  
Veemon groans. At least he thinks he is groaning. It's hard to tell in his condition.  
The world is spinning, and it seems as if he is lying on the ground. Somewhere.  
Judging from the flying and falling sensations, he guesses that he has hit a wall.  
That would also explain the headache and the ringing sound in his ears.  
When the world spins a bit slower he can see who is responsible for his trip to Pain Country.  
_R...Renamon... should've guessed... But somehow this punch hurt more than last time..._  
The golden-furred fox slowly approaches him, her fist still glowing from the Wisteria Punch.  
_Have.. to get... up... must... fight..._ he thinks, but his body doesn't quite agree with him.  
His efforts only cause his vision to blur, so he sighs, waiting for the inevitable to happen.  
When he can see better again, he notices that Renamon...  
_...is gone?_  
  
Renamon hisses loudly and frantically scratches her hurting side.  
The fact that she has just been thrown against a wall doesn't matter much right now.  
All she knows is that her right side feels as if somebody has just bathed her in Napalm.  
After a few moments she finally realizes that her scratching only hurts herself even more.  
_OH GOD! WHAT? WHAT HIT ME THERE?_ she thinks.  
She remembers walking to the dirty lizard to finally finish him off.  
Then... SOMETHING hit her, making her kiss the next wall. At the same time, everything became hot.  
Renamon looks up to see her attacker. She doesn't know any Digimon capable of doing all this.  
"What the-" she mutters when she sees the Digimon who attacked her.  
  
"Renamon?" Gatomon asks timidly and stands up again.  
Somehow everything had gone wrong. First Renamon attacked Veemon, then... this.  
All she saw was a spherical projectile fly past the door. Then she heard Renamon hiss.  
She staggers to the door, rubbing her hurting stomach. Carefully she takes a look around.  
Veemon is lying at one wall; Renamon is lying at another wall of the living room.  
And Renamon's fur is... steaming? Gatomon gasps and turns her head to face the attacker.  
"Aquaveemon?" she gasps, staring at the Rookie standing next to the front door.  
The young Digimon ignores her. Instead she is only staring at Renamon.  
"NOBODY BEATS UP THE DIGIMON I LOVE!" Aquaveemon yells, pointing at Veemon.  
_...love?_ Gatomon thinks and cocks her head.  
She gasps again when she sees Aquaveemon raising her arms. Then the Rookie closes her eyes.  
The dragon Digimon seems to be levitating a few inches above the ground, preparing...  
_...her attack? HER ATTACK?_ Gatomon thinks and instantly sees the answer.  
A blue, football-sized sphere appears above Aquaveemon's head, and it's steaming.  
_This... this isn't... oh don't let this be..._  
"AQUATIC BLAST!" Aquaveemon yells, and the blue orb slams into Renamon's lying form.  
  
_Is that... BOILING WATER?_ Veemon thinks and gasps.  
It took him some moments to catch up with the most recent events.  
Aquaveemon's presence surprised him a bit, but her attack really stunned him.  
_One hit and the oh-so-great Renamon is at the wall, and now..._  
"Holy..." Veemon mutters when he sees the result of Aquaveemon's second attack.  
Renamon has stopped all her actions. She doesn't hiss or struggle anymore.  
"I'll make sure you'll never hurt my Veemon again!" Aquaveemon shouts angrily.  
Veemon gulps when he sees tears running down Aquaveemon's cheeks.  
_She... cares for. No. Wait. She LOVES me!_ he finally realizes.  
_"And she's about to finish Renamon off."_ Flamedramon adds.  
  
"NO!" Gatomon yells, finally dashing to the unconscious Renamon.  
Aquaveemon blinks, obviously being surprised by her presence.  
"Don't even think about it!" Gatomon hisses, standing between Renamon and Aquaveemon.  
She uses the brief phase of confusion to pick up Renamon.  
_At least I have my Ring back!_ she thinks after realizing that she can carry Renamon.  
"This isn't over yet, lizard!" she hisses at Veemon, who is just staring at her.  
_He will pay! And Aquaveemon will pay, too! She really wanted to kill my Renamon!_  
Before anybody can answer, Gatomon jumps out of the apartment.  
She is so busy planning her revenge that she doesn't even notice Hawkmon approaching the house.  



	17. Remorse

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 17  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
The silence that follows Gatomon's dramatic departure is almost worse than the fight has been.  
Aquaveemon is still standing near the front door, staring at the open window.  
Veemon stares at her from his position on the floor, not quite sure what to say now.  
_I love her... and she just said that she loves me... so..._  
_"Tsk... Amateur."_ Flamedramon laughs, kneeling next to him.  
Veemon is just about to shout something when his older self signals him to shut up.  
_"Short version: Lie down and let her help you!"_ the Armor Digimon hisses.  
_Oh come on, you don't expect me to-_ Veemon thinks back, but his inner voice interrupts him.  
_"She's done all this to protect you. So be a thankful dragon and play the victim."_  
Then Flamedramon smirks, making Veemon frown in return.  
_"Besides, you're bleeding."_ Flamedramon mutters and points at Veemon's leg.  
"What the-AUGH!" Veemon shouts, finally noticing the long cut at his thigh.  
  
_Good Lord, what have I done?_ Aquaveemon thinks and stares out of the window Gatomon has used.  
She begins to realize that she just fought her first battle.  
_At least the first one where I actually did something..._ she quickly adds.  
The young Digimon admits that she never felt such a power before. It felt great.  
_I beat the Digimon everybody respects as a great fighter!_ she realizes and smiles.  
Then she realizes that this Digimon has once saved her life.  
_Oh my... I wanted to... kill her..._ she thinks, suddenly feeling miserable.  
When she realizes that Renamon might be a bit angry now, she gulps.  
_That had been beginner's luck... I'm no fighter... I-_  
"AUGH!" Veemon suddenly yells, making Aquaveemon blink.  
She looks at the Digimon she loves - and screams in terror.  
"VEEMON! OH MY GOD!" she cries and dashes to her near-dead love.  
His leg is bleeding, and Aquaveemon guesses that the wound is fatal, judging by the size.  
"Aquaveemon, I-" Veemon starts to whisper, but stops when she hugs him.  
"Save your strength! Oh God... Please don't die now!" she sobs.  
  
_Pardon me?_ Veemon thinks and frowns.  
He closes his eyes, trying to feel that huge wound Aquaveemon must have seen.  
_Am I dying? Weird... I don't feel much pain except for the leg thing..._  
"Please don't die! I love you! I need you!" Aquaveemon cries, still hugging him.  
"And I... I..." Veemon stammers, trying to say the magic words.  
"Maybe it wasn't meant to be..." he can hear her sob quietly.  
He sighs and carefully returns the hug, holding her close to him.  
For a second he simply enjoys the feeling of having somebody to hug, somebody who loves him.  
Veemon knows that this is the Digimon he loves, and this knowledge gives him new strength.  
"And I love you, too." he whispers softly, making Aquaveemon gasp.  
The younger Rookie holds him at an arm's length and looks into his eyes.  
"You...do...?" she whispers, as if not believing her cute ears.  
  
_Oh jeez, don't let me be too late!_ Hawkmon prays, landing on the Motomiya balcony.  
But he has seen Gatomon and Renamon leave, and they wouldn't leave...  
_...unless the action is over..._ he thinks and gulps.  
"Yes, I do." he suddenly hears Veemon's voice.  
_He's alive! Thank God! That means I can-_  
"Oh Veemon! You really love me, too?" Aquaveemon interrupts his thoughts.  
_-kill him personally._  
Hawkmon clenches his fist briefly before realizing why he came here.  
_Wait. Veemon is not my enemy. And I have to accept that he won her heart._ he reminds himself.  
"I have to tell him the truth." he whispers and nods.  
  
Veemon thought that he knows every life-threatening situation in existence.  
But being cuddled to death is a new experience even for him.  
"Aqua... Aqua... stop... getting... no air..." he gasps.  
His beloved Aquaveemon keeps hugging him, and he marvels at how nice it feels.  
_So this is what love feels like..._ he thinks and smiles.  
"I'm so happy to be with you..." Aquaveemon quietly whispers into his ear.  
"Oh, Aqua... I've waited so long to tell you that I love- Hawkmon?"  
Veemon blinks and looks at the bird Digimon who has just entered the apartment.  
"You love HAWKMON?" Aquaveemon shrieks, but Veemon ignores her for the moment.  
"Oh my, Veemon. Why haven't you told me this earlier?" Hawkmon asks and smirks.  
Aquaveemon turns around and blushes when she sees him.  
  
"Buddy! You're just in time to-" Veemon starts cheering, but Hawkmon holds up his wing.  
"Veemon, we have to talk." the bird Digimon mutters.  
Davis' partner looks up at him and cocks his head. Hawkmon only sighs.  
"Alone. And... I could take care of your little scratch there." he adds.  
"Little scratch? He's WOUNDED! You have no idea what-" Aquaveemon starts to shout.  
"Oh come on. This is nothing compared to previous things." Hawkmon chuckles.  
Veemon sighs and nods. Hawkmon helps him up and supports him.  
"Please wait here." he tells Aquaveemon as he walks to Davis' room.  
_Not that she would have gone away... She'll wait... for her beloved Veemon._  
Hawkmon sighs when he realizes that this battle really is over.  
_And I lost. Again._ he thinks and shakes his head slowly.  
  
"Please tell me what happened." Hawkmon whispers and starts cleaning the cut.  
Veemon sits on Davis' chair and sighs. He just wants to join Aquaveemon right now.  
"Gatomon came over. She had been shaven. And somehow she made me responsible."  
"Aha?" Yolei's partner asks, not even looking up.  
"She had Davis' shaver and I... had her Holy Ring. Dunno how it happened, I just had it."  
He sighs, remembering his own surprise during that moment.  
"She became angry... and I somehow snapped, too... And then I punched her."  
Hawkmon freezes and looks up at his friend. For a long second, nobody speaks.  
"You... punched Gatomon?" the bird Digimon asks quietly.  
"And in a sick way, it felt great! Well... at least until Renamon threw me against the wall."  
"I see... So then you beat up Renamon and-"  
"No." Veemon interrupts him quietly.  
"No? But when I arrived, Gatomon was carrying Re-" Hawkmon starts to protest.  
"Aquaveemon knocked Renamon out." Veemon whispers.  
  
_Impossible! Aquaveemon couldn't do something like that! Could she...?_  
Hawkmon stares at Veemon, who seems to be lost in thought.  
"She must have snapped when she saw Renamon punching me... and then..."  
_She really loves him then. If she somehow fought Renam- Wait._  
"If Aquaveemon fought Renamon... then why isn't she hurt at all?" he asks.  
Veemon blinks and looks down at him. The leg wound is completely forgotten by now.  
"The first hit sent Renamon against the wall... the second hit knocked her out."  
Hawkmon gulps when he hears this. Renamon is one of the toughest Rookies he knows, but this...  
"She even tried to finish Renamon off, but Gatomon intervened..." Veemon adds.  
Suddenly Veemon looks down, and Hawkmon knows that the moment of truth has come.  
"The only thing that puzzles me is... who shaved Gatomon?"  
The bird Digimon sighs. Then he looks up, straight into Veemon's eyes.  
"I did it." he whispers.  
  
Kari Kamiya yawns and grins as she enters the apartment again.  
The DigiDestined has spent the entire night roaming the city with T.K.  
_And now all I need is sleep... and maybe a bath..._  
She nods and stumbles to the bathroom. A meter away from the bathroom door, she stops.  
"Ohhhhh Gatomon... that feels good..." she hears Renamon whisper.  
"Relax... just leave it to me..." Gatomon replies.  
_Oh jeez! Now they're doing it in the bathroom!?_ Kari thinks and grimaces.  
She clenches her fist and opens the door, ready to scold at least her own partner.  
"Gatomon! This has gone too-" she starts to shout.  
Then she sees Gatomon standing next to the filled bathtub, which Renamon is lying in.  
And she realizes that her partner has either lost her mind or became a victim once again.  
  
"You...?" Veemon asks, not quite believing his ears.  
Hawkmon doesn't flinch or smile, so Veemon guesses that he spoke the truth.  
Slowly he realizes that he is facing the Digimon who is responsible for all this.  
_All the pain, the humiliation, the hatred..._  
Then he realizes how the situation ended.  
_I... actually told Aquaveemon how I feel... and she told me about her feelings..._  
_"Do you think you could have done it during a normal meeting?"_  
Veemon doesn't look up at his older self. And he knows that Flamedramon is right.  
_I would've invented some reason to avoid it... And maybe she has been just as shy..._  
He looks at Hawkmon again. Until now, he has always seen the hawk as his best friend.  
_But something has changed... Why did he do all this? What motivated-_  
Finally it dawns on him. Only one thing has ever made Hawkmon endanger their friendship.  
"Aquaveemon." he whispers, and Hawkmon slowly nods.  
  
"So... Veemon and Aquaveemon are a couple now?" Kari finally asks.  
She gulps when she sees Gatomon's expression. The cat Digimon slowly flexes her claws.  
"I just told you about our complete misery... and you only think of THEM?"  
Kari sees Renamon stare at Gatomon. Then Ruki's partner continues drying her fur.  
The fox winces when the towel touches her wounds, but she doesn't say anything.  
_Is Renamon too afraid to intervene? Or is she on Gatomon's side?_ Kari asks herself.  
The DigiDestined of Light sighs and looks at her Digimon partner.  
"Gatomon. What do you want to do now?" she asks quietly.  
"Don't ask. You wouldn't like the answer." Gatomon whispers, her paws trembling with rage.  
"O...kay..." Kari answers and tries to smile.  
_Now what? Maybe I should try to keep them here for a while..._  
  
Hawkmon cocks his head in confusion. He has expected many reactions, but not... this.  
_Veemon... chuckles? Maybe he has lost his mind after all this..._  
"You know... buddy... I'm going to miss this..." Veemon laughs quietly.  
_Because you are going to kill me?_ Hawkmon asks silently, but keeps his beak shut.  
"Life is going to be kinda boring without us fighting because of a girl..."  
Hawkmon frowns when he hears this. Then he smirks.  
"Does that mean you're not mad?" he carefully asks the dragon.  
Veemon suddenly stops laughing, making Hawkmon gulp.  
"Oh, I'm mad as hell." Davis' partner hisses, and the hawk holds his breath.  
"If this was just between you and me, I'd beat you up for all this."  
_I knew he'd come to the same conclusion. Good._  
"But I guess that you've got another appointment today." Veemon finishes.  
  
Hawkmon nods and sighs in relief. Then he removes his headband.  
"Here. I want you to take this." he whispers and gives it to Veemon.  
His friend eyes the headband with the trademark feather. Then he frowns.  
"You don't actually think that Gatomon-" the dragon Rookie starts to ask.  
"Yes. And I deserve it. Just..."  
"Hawkmon, come on, don't giv-"  
"Just don't tell Aqua the truth. I want her to keep me in good memory."  
Before Veemon can answer anything, Hawkmon dashes out of the room.  
"HAWKMON! DON'T!" Veemon screams, but he is too late.  
"What happened?" Aquaveemon asks, looking at the sailing hawk outside.  
"I'm going to lose my best friend..." Veemon whispers and looks at the headband.  
  
"Yes, Gatomon. You really should stay with your wounded beloved." Kari says.  
"Whatever. But I'll kill them later!" the cat hisses.  
Then she walks into Kari's room to join Renamon, who is resting in the girl's bed.  
When the door is closed again, Kari sighs. It has taken her much skill to keep Gatomon here.  
"I need a miracle right now..." she whispers and sighs.  
The front-door bell seems to answer her improvised prayer.  
"Oh... Hi Hawkmon..." she greets the Digimon standing outside.  
"Is Gatomon here?" Yolei's partner quietly asks, and Kari frowns.  
"Something wrong?" she asks back, but Hawkmon shakes his head.  
"Soon everything will be all right... Just... have to phone first."  
Kari nods and watches Hawkmon as he walks to the phone.  
_I wonder what happened to his headband..._  
  
"This is Yolei speaking, who's there?" the new DigiDestined of Love answers the phone.  
When she doesn't hear any kind of answer, she frowns.  
"Inoue here, how can I help you?" she tries again.  
Finally she can hear a sigh at the other hand.  
I just wanted to hear your voice one last time...  
Then the caller hangs up, and Yolei blinks.  
"Hawk...mon...?" she whispers, feeling a chill run down her spine.  



	18. Breakup

Tamers: Stuck in Paradise - Season 3  
Part 18  
by Christian "Sid" Lang  
  
  


* * *

  
"He'll pay. You've been so right. I should have killed him!"  
Renamon frowns. Gatomon seems to be angrier than ever before.  
_She makes me look tame by comparison..._ she thinks and sighs.  
"I don't know, Gato... I mean... you have brought them togeth-" she starts.  
"WHAT? You're kidding, right? I'll just rip his spine out and then-"  
The cat stops her shouting when she notices Renamon's stare.  
_I should change the topic, and I should do so FAST._  
"Hey, I didn't know Kari had any jewelry!" Renamon suddenly cheers and picks up a ring.  
Gatomon blinks and cocks her head. Then she shrugs and starts pacing.  
"Oh that. Kari isn't the type of girl who needs such stuff. She never wears it."  
Renamon looks at the golden ring and smiles. Then she starts toying with it.  
"You know that we foxes love shiny objects, don't you?" she lies and smiles.  
"You know that we cats can't stand disgusting sweetness, don't you?" Gatomon hisses.  
Renamon freezes when she hears that. Then she decides to shut up for now.  
  
Izzy yawns and stumbles to the ringing phone, cursing time zones and Instant Messengers.  
"This is Izzy... who is-" he mumbles after picking up the receiver.  
IZZY! HELP ME! a high-pitched female voice makes him jump and blink.  
"Who is- What the- Yolei? That you?" he stammers.  
I need your HELP! Yolei screams, ignoring Izzy's questions.  
"Uh... okay. What's up?" the boy genius asks, scratching his head.  
I have to find Hawkmon! Yolei whispers, and Izzy guesses that she is crying.  
"Yolei... You know that we can't track our Digimon down."  
_Even though Lee, Takato and Ruki can do it with their modified Digivices..._  
He quickly shakes his head, knowing that Yolei isn't interested in this.  
I... I see... thanks... Izzy...  
"Yolei? I'm sorry, but what... Yolei...? Hello?"  
  
Hawkmon sighs one last time and looks at Kari.  
"Maybe you should go out for a walk." he whispers and tries to smile.  
Kari frowns, but finally nods. Then she leaves the apartment.  
Slowly he approaches Kari's room, knowing that he won't leave it in one piece.  
_I am sorry, my friends. But I have failed you. All of you._ he thinks.  
Then he opens the door and enters the room.  
He can see Renamon resting on Kari's bed. The fox looks wounded, but alive.  
Gatomon is standing in the middle of the room, looking very angry.  
Both Digimon finally turn their heads to face him.  
"Hello you two." he whispers weakly.  
"Hawkmon! Good to see you! Wanna join the Kill-Veemon-Party?" Gatomon asks.  
He chuckles, even though he knows that he has no reason to be happy.  
  
_What is Hawkmon doing here? Well, at least he's safe._ Renamon thinks.  
She keeps toying with Kari's ring as she watches the events from her lying position.  
"Gatomon, there is something you should know..." Hawkmon whispers.  
"Yes?" Gatomon asks, sounding almost happy.  
_Yeah, happy to have somebody who blindly backs her up when-_  
"Veemon didn't shave you. I did."  
_-she kills... kills... oh boy._  
Renamon gulps and looks at Hawkmon. The bird Digimon looks rather calm, as if...  
_He's not actually planning to get killed, is he?_  
Gatomon flexes her claws, also staring at Hawkmon, who seems to be waiting patiently.  
_He WANTS Gatomon to kill him!_ she suddenly realizes.  
  
_So. This is how it ends._ Hawkmon thinks.  
Gatomon is taking her time, as if gathering her strength for devastating strike.  
_It's ironic that my DNA Digivolution partner will be my executioner..._ he muses.  
He looks at Renamon, who seems rather puzzles at the moment.  
_Funny. She doesn't even look angry. Maybe she remembers that I loved her._  
Hawkmon realizes that he will never know for sure since his life is running on a short fuse.  
  
Time seems to slow down as Renamon's mind kicks into overdrive.  
_He's ready to die! But... why? WHY? Why did he shave Gatomon? Why does he want to die now?_  
Renamon tries to read Hawkmon's expression, but it's no use.  
_Everything except for the shaving turned out as good as it could! He should be happy!_  
Gatomon slowly raises her paw now, ready to shred her long-time friend into pieces.  
_Why? Nothing bad has happened! Veemon loves Aquaveemon, Aquaveemon loves Vee-_  
Renamon gasps when she sees the connection.  
_He has always been so friendly, so enthusiastic when Aquaveemon is around!_  
Her beloved cat doesn't seem to bother thinking about this, though.  
_Hawkmon loved Aquaveemon... but Gatomon never even considered this..._  
Gatomon holds her paw high above her head, and Renamon knows that time is running out.  
_I have to stop her! But what might make her stop to think in this condition?_  
For a long moment, she can think of nothing. Then she comes up with one thing.  
_I am sorry, Gatomon. But you will thank me later... I hope..._  
The golden fox nods and gives Kari's ring a last look.  
  
Hawkmon stares at the three pointy claws ready to finish him off.  
_It is better this way._ he tells himself, but somehow he doubts it now.  
"Gatomon! STOP!" Renamon suddenly barks.  
The snow-white cat blinks and gives Renamon a brief look. Her paw doesn't move.  
"What. You wanna do it yourself?" she hisses, but Renamon shakes her head.  
"Don't kill him. You do not understand-"  
"NO, YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" Gatomon shouts at her beloved, and Hawkmon frowns.  
"I do. And I tell you this: If you kill him, I will leave you."  
Yolei's partner gulps. Renamon looks very serious, and even Gatomon hesitates.  
But in the end, her rage wins against her feelings for Renamon.  
"You wouldn't dare to leave me..." she sneers.  
Renamon smirks and raises her paw. A moment later, Gatomon yelps.  
Hawkmon blinks. There has been a movement, but it had been too fast to follow.  
But the result is obvious. Renamon is holding Gatomon's Holy Ring in her paw.  
  
"How dare you-" Gatomon snaps, but Renamon doesn't even give her a second look.  
The fox slowly stands up and looks down at her.  
"You don't even want to hear his reasons. You only want your revenge."  
"SO WHAT? He has tricked me! He used me!" Gatomon yells.  
_He used me! Mocked me! But not anymore! This will end here and NOW!_  
But even in her angry condition, Gatomon notices Renamon's sad expression.  
_She... wouldn't actually leave... would she?_  
"R-Renamon... what are you..." the cat whispers.  
The fox only shakes her head and holds up her Holy Ring.  
"With this ring..." Renamon starts to quote the well-known wedding vow.  
Renamon turns her back to Gatomon and faces the window. Suddenly she raises her clenched fist.  
"...I THEE LEAVE!" the fox yells and throws the tiny object out of the window.  
  
Ruki yawns. Davis has spent a wonderful night with her in the park.  
They have giggled; they have danced in the moonlight...  
Now the couple is resting on the lawn, watching the birds high above them.  
A tiny golden streak catches her attention, and Davis also gasps.  
"Wow... awesome..." she whispers, looking at the tiny flying object.  
"A shooting star! Make a wish!" Davis suddenly cheers.  
Ruki frowns and gives him a look.  
But then she doesn't bother lecturing him and simply smiles.  
"I have all I could wish for..." she purrs and kisses her beloved.  
  
Hawkmon's heart skips a few beats. Renamon has actually done it.  
He stares at the point where the ring has disappeared from his field of vision.  
"R-R-Rena..." Gatomon stammers, but Renamon gives her a cold stare.  
"Blind revenge has never done any good." Renamon whispers.  
"But Rena, I-"  
"Think about it. This situation is also your fault."  
"DAMMIT IT'S NOT! IT'S HIS FAULT!" Gatomon suddenly hisses.  
Renamon sighs and vanishes without saying another word.  
_Oh my God... What happened?_ he briefly asks himself.  
"Rena...? Renamon...? RENAMON! PLEASE!" Gatomon sobs.  
_Did Renamon just do it to distract Gatomon?_  
"Renamon! DAMMIT RENAMON! COME BACK!"  
_Or has she really stopped to love Gatomon now?_  
"Okay... THAT DOES IT! I DON'T NEED YOU! YOU HEAR ME?"  
Gatomon curses and jumps out through the window, probably looking for her ring.  
  
"Oh Davis..." Ruki whispers.  
"My beloved Ruki..." Davis answers and kisses her lips.  
"Oh Davis..."  
"Ruki. D-Arc. Now." a third voice interrupts the lovers chat.  
The Tamer blinks and looks up. Renamon is standing next to her, looking rather serious.  
"Good morning, Renamon. Do you need me to slash a card?" she asks.  
Without thinking of it, she takes out her D-Arc and reaches for her card holder.  
"I just need the D-Arc. I'll explain everything else later."  
Ruki blinks when Renamon takes the D-Arc. Then Renamon disappears.  
"Renamon, wait! My D-Arc! What are you doing?" she finally shouts.  
Ruki waits. But this time, nobody answers her.  
"Renamon?" Ruki asks again, but nothing happens.  
And even though Davis is right next to her, Ruki Makino suddenly feels lonely.  
  
"Oh. My. God." Hawkmon whispers, looking around the now-empty room.  
_I've... I've made Renamon leave Gatomon..._ he realizes.  
"Hawkmon." the golden fox whispers, suddenly appearing next to him.  
"R-Renamon! Why did you-" he instantly starts to ask, but Renamon holds up her paw.  
Hawkmon gulps when he sees that the paw is shaking.  
"You love Aquaveemon?" Renamon simply asks, and Hawkmon gasps.  
"Y...Yes." he finally whispers.  
"Does Veemon know?" Renamon continues her quiet interrogation.  
"Yes. I just talked to him."  
Renamon slowly nods. Hawkmon notices that she is carrying Ruki's D-Arc, but doesn't say anything.  
  
"Veemon...?" somebody asks.  
He slowly opens his eyes and sees the ceiling.  
"Whoa..." he groans and slowly gets up.  
"Oh VEEMON!" he hears before he is pushed onto his side again.  
After a moment of confusion he realizes that he is being hugged.  
Another moment later he remembers who is probably hugging him.  
"Aquaveemon... what happened?" he asks.  
His beloved lets go of him and sighs.  
"You've been knocked out... by this." she mutters and shows him a small golden ring.  
"You mean this tiny ring has knocked me out? HOW?"  
"Beats me, you're the one with the big experience here..." Aquaveemon answers.  
_Weird... how did the ring get here, anyway...?_  
  
"You... still love her, right?" Hawkmon asks after a long pause.  
"Of course I do..." Renamon sighs and sits down on the bed.  
The bird Digimon nods, knowing how hard this must be for Renamon.  
"I just hope she can forgive me when I come back."  
Hawkmon looks up at her and gasps when he sees what Renamon is holding up.  
"Her Holy Ring... but how...?"  
"I tossed out Kari's ring. This one stays with me for a while."  
"I... guess I owe you one, right?" Hawkmon then asks.  
"No." Renamon whispers and shakes her head.  
"Huh? Why not?"  
"Either we're all happy after this... Or I will finish what Gatomon has tried to do."  
Renamon vanishes before Hawkmon has any chance to answer.  
"Terrific..." he finally mutters.  



End file.
